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CQEffilGHT DEPOSm 



THE COW 



In Health and Disease 



Embracing the Fundamental Principles of Sanitation 
and Hygiene — The Proper Care and Treatment 
in All Common Diseases — The Care of the 
Dairg and Dairy Products, Includ- 
ing Municipal Requirements 
and Standardization. 



By 
G. H. CONN, D. V. M. 



Formerly Veterinary Inspector for the Bureau of Animal 

Industry of the United States Department of 

Agriculture; First Lieutenant Veterinary 

Corps of the National Army. 



KANSAS CITY. MISSOURI 

BURTON PUBLISHING COMPANY 

Publishers and Booksellers 






o\ 



Copyrighted 1918 

by 

BURTON PUBLISHING COMPANY 

Kansas City, Mo. 



©CI.A525896 

JUN 17 1919 



^\^s& \ 



This volume is dedicated to those who have 
the best interests of the cow at heart, both from 
a humane and economic standpoint, and who 
are desirous of doing all that they possibly can 
to add to their comfort and protect their health- 
By The Author. 



PREFACE. 

From the author's experience as a practic- 
ing veterinarian in the rural districts and from 
the reception of his articles pertaining to the 
cow by the readers of the largest and most 
influential dairy and farm papers in the United 
States he was convinced that there was a 
great need for a book dealing with the proper 
care of the cow in health and in sickness. 

The aim of the author in preparing this vol- 
ume was purely an educational one and it is 
hoped that none of its readers will be led to 
believe that he desires to impress upon them 
the fact that they can successfully and profit- 
ably prescribe for their cows during sickness, 
but rather that realizing the nature of those 
conditions that commonly affect their cows 
that they will whenever possible secure pro- 
fessional aid. To be forewarned is to be fore- 
armed, and truly the cheapest thing that you 
can purchase when you have a valuable cow 
sick, is the advice of a reputable veterinarian. 

If the author is successful through the me- 
dium of this volume to enable some few owners 

7 



8 The Cow in Health and Disease, 

of cows to prevent their animals from suffer- 
ing from many of the loss-producing ailments 
that are mentioned herein, thus aiding in the 
production of those food products that are so 
essential for the maintenance of the general 
public, then his purpose will have been ful- 
filled and his work well done. 

The author is especially indebted to all those 
parties who have contributed their encourage- 
ment and support and to the Burton Publish- 
ing Co., whose aid has been almost invaluable. 



CONTENTS 



Chapter 1. How to produce clean milk— 


good 




features of score card — Health of 


cows 




— Dairyman and his employes-Grading 




suggested — Average inspector. 






Page 1 


ii 


2. Home Pasteurization of 






milk. 


1 20 


<< 


3. The need of municipal milk 






inspection. 


1 22 


u 


4. Milk for infant feeding. 


' 28 


<< 


5. Keeping the cow warm. 


• 32 


it 


6. Keeping the cow clean. 


1 34 


ii 


7. Construction of the barn. 


' 45 


it 


8. Equipment of the dairy barn 


1 48 


ii 


9. Cleaning the barn. 


' 51 


ii 


10. The average farm cow. 


' 56 


<< 


11. How to select a good cow. 


1 60 


u 


12. Caring for the sick cow. 


' 92 


(( 


13. Feeding the sick cow. 


" 98 


it 


14. Diseases of respiratory sys- 
tem-Cold in the head-Bleed- 





from the nose-Bronchitis- 
Pleurisy -Pneumonia-Heaves. " 105 
15. Diseases of digestive system 
9 



10 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

—Salivation or slobbering-The 
teeth -Inflamation of the mouth 
-Sore throat— Mumps-Choke- 
Over-feeding-Loss of appetite 
Bloat — Dyspepsia — Depraved 
appetite- -Colic-Impaction of 
rumen. " 1C9 

" 16. Diseases of cows udder- 
Bloody milk-Tuberculosis- 
Tumors of udder-Suppression 
of milk-Simple mammitis-In- 
fectious mammitis. " 116 

" 18 Retention of the Placenta 123 

" 18 Lumpy Jaw 128 

" 19 Milk Fever 130 

" 20 Stirility of Cows 135 



CHAPTER I. 

HOW TO PRODUCE CLEAN MILK. 

What a wonderful thing a beautiful and use- 
ful theory is when it can be applied in a prac- 
tical way. How many times, however, have 
results obtained greatly and positively ex- 
ploded the necessity- of some of our best theo- 
ries. We feel that the government score-card 
for the inspection of dairies is an ideal system 
when it can be used as it should be and when 
the results are all that can be obtained by its 
use. In practice, however, it requires more 
than conformity to given regulations, in many 
cases, to obtain desired results. Especially is 
this true of the dairy business. You can fur- 
nish a dairyman with an equipment that con- 
forms to the score-card of the 'United States 
Department of Agriculture, and still his neigh- 
bor across the road who can not produce milk 
to meet the Federal score-card test is produc- 
ing a much better grade of milk than the for- 
mer. Clean milk depends upon the individual 
and not upon his equipment. 

It is a good thing to have buildings and 

11 



12 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

equipment to conform with the regulations that 
have been worked out by the United States of- 
ficials, but too many times the equipment is 
considered all that is necessary to produce high 
grade milk. Thus, many men who really are 
producing a high grade of milk are receiving 
no more than any one else, and men with good 
equipment are producing a much inferior milk 
and receiving the price that really should go to 
the other man. We have always felt that it 
is an unjust discrimination against many dairy- 
men to prohibit them from competing with 
other men who maintained a more elaborate 
and expensive equipment. It seems to us that 
quality should govern the production of market 
milk in all cases. 

Good Features of Score-Card. 

Enforcing the score-card system of inspec- 
ing dairies has some very good features to com- 
mend it. It enables the producer to produce 
good quality milk with less labor and at less 
cost than with less complete equipment, and 
beside the esthetic effect on the individuals 
that consume the product has some little bear- 
ing. You will agree with me that milk that is 
produced from a dairy where all of the build- 
ings are neat and well kept, the cows are clean, 
all the attendants are dressed clean and every- 
thing is spick and span, will appeal to most in- 
dividuals as just the kind that they desire, 
while it may not be nearly so wholesome or 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 13 

free from dangerous disease germs as that pro- 
duced by his neighbor just across the way who 
does not have such extensive equipment or 
make such a pleasing appearance. While horse 
meat may be almost if not altogether as palat- 
able as beef, yet most of us would hesitate or 
even refuse to eat it simply from our esthetic 
feeling toward it. 

The Federal score-card calls for a perfect 
score of 100 — 40 to the equipment and 60 to the 
methods. From the reasons just given and 
from results actually obtained, we feel that it 
would no doubt be better if a much larger to- 
tal, say 80 or 85 points, be devoted to methods. 
For after all, a perfectly equipped dairy with 
faulty methods will not produce a high grade 
market milk, and hence we feel that even more 
stress should be laid upon the methods. 

Health of Cows. 

The first thing under the methods in the 
dairy that should receive attention should be 
the health of the cows. Since we know that 
tuberculosis is so common among dairy cows 
and that many cases of tuberculosis among in- 
fants are contracted from infected cow's milk 
we feel that no one should be allowed to offer 
milk for sale for human consumption unless 
sure that the cows that produced it are free 
from tuberculosis. Cows that are affected 
with other contagious or infectious diseases 
such as leucorrhea or whites, or cows with one 



14 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

or more quarters affected with garget, can not 
be expected to produce a clean milk. The first 
and most essential thing is to get a clean bill 
of health for the cow that is secreting the milk, 
as it is impossible to get clean, wholesome, 
germ-free milk from a diseased cow. 

After the cows have been found to be healthy 
it then becomes the duty of the dairyman to 
keep them healthy. Here is where education 
and instruction along sanitary and hygienic 
lines may do the most good. Any inspector 
of dairies should make this one of his chief 
aims — to point out to the man who has cows 
under his care the relation of sunlight, fresh 
air, good feed, regular feeding, cleanliness and 
exercise to the health of his cows and the eco- 
nomic importance of observing these necessary 
rules for maintaining the health of his cows. 
This should be just as much the duty of an in- 
spector as the scoring of the methods and 
equipment of the dairy. As soon as a man 
learns definitely that unhealthy cows will not 
yield a profit, he will refuse to keep them and 
you will have then done more real good and 
accomplished more through educating this 
man than you would ever have accomplished 
through compulsory legislative procedures. 

Dairyman and His Employes. 

Many times we wonder whether or not a 
closer attention to the dairyman and his em- 
ployes would be productive of much more good 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 15 

than could possibly result from the inspection 
of his equipment. The dairyman must know 
that cleanliness of his cows, the utensils in 
which the milk is handled and of the persons 
handling it must be observed. He must bring 
himself to realize that milk is one of the most 
easily contaminated foods that we have and 
that a matter of a very short time is sufficient 
for contamination to take place. He must be 
educated into seeing that carefulness, cleanli- 
ness and speed in handling milk w r ill go a long 
way toward eliminating many of the causes of 
an impure product. A man can keep his uten- 
sils clean, can keep his cows clean, and can 
keep himself clean in very ordinary surround- 
ings, and for that reason we contend that the 
equipment has very little to do with the qual- 
ity of the milk. It is the methods that count. 
Whenever you find a man who has good meth- 
ods about the dairy, you can overlook the 
equipment and say to yourself that there is a 
man who is producing good milk. 

Grading Suggested. 

Since it is first-class quality milk that is de- 
sired we can not see why a systematic plan of 
grading milk could not be worked out and suc- 
cessfully applied. Of course, this would make 
necessary a great deal of laboratory work, and 
such tests would need to be made at intervals 
that would allow the laboratory worker time 
to test all the samples under his supervision. 



16 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

The time at which the tests should be made 
could be determined by the one doing the test- 
ing and it would possibly be best not to inform 
the producer as to when this test was to be 
made. 

Such a test should include' butter-fat, con- 
tent of solids not fat, total solids, a bacterial 
count, a sediment test and keeping qualities. 
A standard could be determined and a sliding 
scale of prices could be paid for the milk ac- 
cording to the test that it might show. We 
think that such a test should be made of a 
composite sample or samples of milk from 
each dairy no less than four times during the 
year. It might be advisable under certain 
conditions that might arise from weather con- 
ditions or other local conditions to make the 
test oftener than this. By making such a test, 
all producers of milk are on an equal competi- 
tive basis, but as long as the equipment and 
methods are placed first and quality last, many 
men are being used unjustly and many others 
are receiving what should justly belong to 
some one else. 

This would also be the fairest of all systems 
for the consumer and also the most economical 
as the consumer would then pay for only what 
he got and no more. We can hardly under- 
stand why any producer of milk would object 
to this unless it should be some one producing 
milk of such poor quality that it was barely 
slipping by the present regulations and under 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 17 

the suggested regulations he would have to 
sell his milk as of such poor quality that he 
would get less than now. I am quite sure that 
the majority of dairymen would welcome such 
a method. 

We can hardly see why such work as this 
could not well be handled by the Federal gov- 
ernment, the same as they are now performing 
the systematic inspection of all animals killed 
for food purposes at the slaughter houses that 
do an interstate business. If the Federal gov- 
ernment performed this inspection they would 
be enabled to work out a better and uniform 
system, on account of the many experts that 
they already have and due to the fact that they 
would have so much larger fields in which to 
work out their plans. They could and would, 
in most instances, secure more competent men 
to do the work, as they would no doubt secure 
them from civil service examination. As they 
would have the entire country to draw from, 
pay good wagv-i and exempt the positions from 
political interference a better class of men 
would seek the positions. 

Average Inspector. 

The average inspector is very unpopular with 
most dairymen and there are several reasons 
for this. In the first place, too many inspec- 
tors are inspectors in name only and do not 
have the ability that one should have to per- 
form such duties. They lose favor with the 



18 The Cow in Health and Disease, 

dairyman because they place so much impor- 
tance upon minor and unimportant matters, 
at the same time overlooking things that are 
really important. The practical dairyman is 
quick to see such mistakes. Also, too many 
inspectors seem to think that the score-card is 
all there is to the inspection of a dairy and 
after that is done their work is ended. A suc- 
cessful inspector must know something about 
cows, more than he has read in books. 

Too many of our inspectors are city boys 
who have taken a veterinary course; then got- 
ten "just such a job." Very few of this class 
meet with the approval of the men among 
whom they work. An inspector must not be 
arrogant and ready to show authority at every 
turn, but must bring the dairyman to realize 
that he is working for his best interests and 
that he is always ready to give any advice that 
might help in any way. It requires an abun- 
dance of tact and judgment to perform such 
duties intelligently and effectively. 

In many towns and cities you will find lay 
inspectors with no training of any kind but 
who secure their positions through politics. 
Such positions are worse than useless and 
should be abolished at once as they do much 
more harm than good, as very few individuals 
will permit without much resentment, such in- 
dividuals to have authority over them. We 
feel that men should be especially trained and 
qualified for dairy inspection work. When 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 19 

we have worked out a satisfactory plan that 
is fair to both the consumer and producer and 
have men who can really do the work as in- 
spectors that they should do and as it should 
be done — then we feel that the milk question 
will be on a somewhat more solid foundation 
than it is at the present time. 



CHAPTER II. 

HOME PASTEURIZATION OF MILK. 

For large children and adults the following 
method may be used. Take a small pail and 
get a shallow pan such as a pie tin and punch 
holes through it and place it in the bottom of 
the pail. This leaves a space between the bot- 
tom of the pail and the bottom of the bottles 
and allows of a free circulation of water. 
Punch a hole through the cap of one of the 
bottles and insert a thermometer. Use one 
with the scale etched on the glass as they are 
more accurate than the ordinary floating ther- 
mometer, and then place water in the pail al- 
most to the level of the milk; the pail should 
then be placed over the flames and heat until 
the thermometer registers 155 at which time 
the bottles should be removed from the water 
and covered with a clean towel and allowed to 
stand from 20 to 30 minutes. Place a new cap 
on the bottle with the punctured cap or cover 
by inverting a cup. Then place in a pail of 
warm water and add cold water until there 
is no danger of breaking the bottles from the 

20 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 21 

cold and place in refrigerator and keep cool 
and use as soon as possible. 

In pasteurizing milk for babies it is well to 
use the nursing bottles, as this saves a great deal 
of work and danger of contaminating the milk 
from handling. Take as many nursing bottles 
as there will be feedings and it is good policy 
to have an extra one as one often gets broken, 
and if they have no seals, plug with ordinary 
cotton and the thermometer may be held in 
one of them by the cotton plug. Place over 
the fire and heat until the thermometer reg- 
isters between 145 and 150 degrees, and then 
remove the bottles from the fire and insert 
the thermometer in the water which will be 
found to be much higher in temperature than 
the milk, and add cold water until the water 
is from 145 to 150 degrees and then cover with 
a clean cloth and let stand 20 minutes. Then 
cool with water to ordinary temperature and 
then pack broken ice around the bottles and 
place in the refrigerator until ready for use, 
when it may be warmed to the required tem- 
perature. If the milk is fed in a modified form 
this should be done before it is pastuerized. 
If the bottles are warmed and then not used 
the milk should be thrown away. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE NEED OF MUNICIPAL MILK IN- 
SPECTION. 

Milk and meat as foods have received much 
more consideration at the hands of investi- 
gators as food products, because they are used 
as food by many more people than any of the 
other food products, and because milk is pri- 
marily a food for the young. Cows milk is 
especially much used in the cities as food for 
the babies, where many of them are bottle 
fed. It seems to me that the procurement of 
a wholesome and pure milk for the people, 
and one that is cheap and nutritious, for the 
people of our country, and especially for the 
babies, would be a work in which any one 
should feel proud to be engaged and should 
receive more consideration at the hands of 
veterinarians than it does. Too many of us 
veterinarians do not pay any attention to mat- 
ters of this kind simply because our muni- 
cipalities do not make provision for such in- 
spection. Milk not only carries disease to the 

22 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 23 

human family, but it decomposes very rapidly ; 
and, besides, there are many people who are 
so unscrupulous as to adulterate it in various 
ways. By careful observations and tests, 
methods have been perfected by which these 
frauds may be detected. 

It was formerly thought that anything to 
be of any value concerning the public health 
must come from the regular medical practi- 
tioner, but the recent advances in comparative 
pathology and therapeutics have taught the 
people that the individual who has had special 
training along such lines is the individual that 
is best prepared to handle the situation, and 
for this reason the veterinarian is better fitted 
to handle the inspection of milk than any 
other because he has had special training in 
the diseases of the domestic animals and dis- 
eased conditions that may result from the con- 
sumption of some of their food products. 

In the production of milk for human con- 
sumption, the very first act is a violation of 
Nature's law. Nature intended that the young 
of those animals who nourished their young 
with milk should draw the milk directly from 
the udder. Milk in being drawn by hand or 
any other artificial means for the use of those 
who may use it for food is sure to undergo 
more or less contamination; the dirt and bac- 
teria on the teats, the loose hairs on the body, 
the dandruff from the skin, the particles of 
dust in the air from dusty fodders and hay, 



24 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

and several others all contribute to contami- 
nate milk when it is artihcially drawn for 
human consumption. The lime elapsing be- 
tween the drawing of milk and its consumption 
and the rapidity with which it develops bac- 
teria make it necessary to use the utmost pre- 
caution in handling it. When calves are fed 
on milk from the cow drawn artificially, the 
contamination, decomposition and irritant prop- 
erties that develop oftentimes prove dangerous 
and many times fatal because of the gastro- 
intestinal conditions which they cause. In- 
fants often suffer with this same condition, and 
in the cities where bottle-fed babies are com- 
mon, from 10 to 20 per cent of the infant 
funerals are from this cause alone. In one of 
the large cities of this state where they have 
had competent and rigid municipal milk in- 
spection, during the first three years infant 
funerals were reduced 33 1/3 per cent, some 
record to be proud of, we should think. 

The stalls where cows are kept should be 
cleaned some time before milking, so that the 
cows may be well bedded down and the dust 
have time to settle and the odors to banish ; 
the attendant who does the milking should not 
smell of the odors of other farm animals with 
which he may have been working and should 
wear clean clothing and should have clean 
hands. It is a common practice with many 
milkers to go to milk without washing and 
then wet the hands with the milk during the 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 25 

milking. This is very unsanitary and should be 
discouraged. The cows should be cleaned be- 
fore milking and the udder wiped with a damp 
cloth ; the opening in the top of the pail should 
be as small as possible to permit milking, as 
this will keep much dirt from getting into the 
milk; the pails and vessels in which milk is 
handled should be so constructed that the 
milk could not co"ect around seams and thus 
be a breeding pi- :e for bacteria that are usually 
associated wit 1 milk. 

It is the large dairies that furnish milk for 
the people ir the large cities, and it is in these 
large dairie that the cows are forced for a 
large milk production, and for this reason they 
are not able to withstand disease as well as 
they would under more favorable conditions, 
and therefore the milk from such cows and 
the cows themsely§s should be under compe- 
tent inspection. 

Cows that have diseased udders are sure to 
give off some of the infection when the milk 
is drawn; also, in diseases where the other 
eliminating channels are not working properly, 
infection and poisonous products are some- 
times given off with the milk. We feel that 
many of the diseases of infants in particular 
are due to some infection in the milk, especially 
where they are fed on cows milk, due to strep- 
tococci and other virulent strains of infection 
and their poisonous products. 

The reason milk is not recognized as the 



26 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

cause of more of the ailments of children, than 
it is, is due to the fact that there are too many 
doctors who do not make enough effort to 
find the cause of many of these conditions, 
being very willing to call them summer com- 
plaint, indigestion, etc. 

It is a recognized fact by a large number 
of the best authorities on medicine at the pres- 
ent time that bovine tuberculosis may be, and 
in fact is, transmitted to human beings through 
the milk of animals infected with this disease ; 
this affects children under two years of age 
principally, although older children and occa- 
sionally adults contract the disease in this 
way. Dr. Park, an eminent physician of New 
York City, is authority for the statement that 
the bovine type of tuberculosis is the cause, 
of the death of two to three hundred of the 
infants in that city each year; a mighty hard 
blow to the mothers of New York to bear for 
a condition that could be remedied. 

Great care should be taken in the produc- 
tion of milk, so that the attendants who care 
for the cattle do not infect the milk with va- 
rious diseases with which they may be asso- 
ciated, or be the virus carriers for them. Many 
times people have been infected with typhoid 
fever, scarlet fever, diphtheria, etc., simply 
through the milk that they have consumed. 

The water in which the utensils are cleaned 
should be pure and free from any diseases that 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 27 

might render the milk dangerous to public 
health. 

The time elapsing between the drawing of 
milk and its being consumed by our city 
cousins in many instances is several hours, and 
this makes it all the more necessary to have a 
system of inspection that will compel the pro- 
ducer to make the necessary provision for the 
proper delivery of his product to the consumer. 

There are several methods used by those 
dealers who have no regard for fair dealing in 
adulterating their products, and where inspec- 
tion is maintained these frauds can be detected 
and the person punished for so doing. These 
consist chiefly of artificial preservatives and 
flavors ; and watering is quite a common prac- 
tice in some places in this country. 

Many of the conditions mentioned in this 
article could and would be greatly benefited by 
competent municipal inspection, and several of 
them could be eradicated, and by so doing 
would be a great protection to the people of 
the municipality. 



CHAPTER IV. 

MILK FOR INFANT FEEDING. 

While milk is naturally a food that is pri- 
marily intended for the feeding of the young 
of all the mammalia and the human family it 
does not always hold that the young, especially 
the babies, receive this article of their food just 
as they should. We know that the milk from 
a good healthy mother is the best food for 
the infant, but, for many reasons, it is not 
always possible for mothers to nurse their 
babes, and, for this reason, it becomes neces- 
sary for them to do the best they can under 
the existing conditions, and so they are com- 
pelled to resort to artificial feeding and cow's 
milk is the food usually selected. 

In procuring cow's milk for the baby, it is 
necessary to violate nature's laws, as nature 
intended that the young should draw the milk 
directly from the udder, but it is necessary to 
draw the milk from the cow artificially and 
then deliver it to the baby. In the cities, this 
takes several hours and, as milk is very prone 
to decompose, it is plain that great care must 

28 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 29 

be exercised in handling it. Milk for infant 
feeding or for human consumption should be 
produced from healthy cows. They should not 
have diseased udders. They should be kept un- 
der sanitary conditions, and they should have 
plenty of fresh air and sunlight. They should 
be kept clean and the region of the flank and 
the udder should be washed with a damp cloth 
and dried before milking, as this prevents any 
dandruff or loose hairs or other dirt from falling 
into the bucket while milking. The attendant 
who does the milking should have clean hands 
and wear clean clothing while milking, and 
should not be around people infected with con- 
tagious diseases, sush as diphtheria, typhoid 
fever, smallpox, or other such diseases. 

You have a perfect right to demand this much 
of your man who sells you milk and more, too. 
The milk should be cooled to 50 degrees or less 
as soon as possible after it is drawn, and kept 
at that temperature until it is marketed. The 
vessels into which it is drawn and in which it 
is stored should have no seams around which 
the milk might collect and decompose. In the 
cities which have a provision for inspection un- 
der competent veterinarians these matters will 
all be attended to; if you have not this sort 
of inspection, now is the time to advocate it, 
and do not give up until you have secured it. 

Not all the fault lies with the dairyman, how- 
ever. Many people do not care for their milk 
properly after it is delivered to them. Milk 



30 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

should be placed in a sterile container, away 
from the sunlight and dust, and in a place hav- 
ing a temperature of 50 degrees or under is 
still better. Do not place it in an ice box hav- 
ing a bad odor, as it will usually absorb much 
of it. Heat favors the growth of bacteria or 
disease germs, and, as there are many in the 
milk at all times, it is necessary to keep milk 
at a low temperature to keep them from de- 
veloping. 

Pasteurized milk is the best for infant feed- 
ing. The aim in pasteurizing milk is to kill as 
many of the bacteria as possible without produc- 
ing a chemical change in the milk. It has been 
determined that during this process that the 
temperature should not exceed 185° F., nor fall 
below 140° F. To pasteurize milk in the home, 
it can be done by placing the milk in airtight 
bottles or in bottles which have been stoppered 
with sterilized cotton and immersed in hot water 
and heated, say at a temperature of 149° F. for 
one-half hour and then rapidly cooled to 50° F. 
or less; or heated to 167° F. and kept at that 
temperature for fifteen minutes and then cooled 
as before. It is now possible to obtain pasteur- 
ized milk in almost all of the larger cities, but 
then the milk should be properly cared for as 
if plain market milk. It is best usually to pas- 
teurize your milk that you use at your own home. 
Sterilized milk is milk that has been raised to 
the boiling point to destroy the bacteria in it. 
This can only be successfully done by heating 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 31 

the milk to the boiling point on several con- 
secutive days. It is not good for infant feed- 
ing, as it produces a chemical change in the 
digestive ferments of the milk. 

Certified milk is that which is certified to be 
of certain standard. It is guaranteed to be up to 
the standard which may be set by the city or 
the dairyman himself. This kind of milk is 
very safe. 

Modified milk is prepared especially for in- 
fants. In cow's milk you will find more protein 
and less milk sugar, and it also has larger fat 
globules, and there is more casein in proportion 
than there is albumen. The deficiency in milk 
sugar can be remedied by adding milk sugar or 
rice flour, or arrow-root. The casein may be 
rendered more easily digested by the addition of 
lime water. Most infants will thrive on modified 
milk when the whole milk is injurious to them. 

Homogenized milk is milk that has been forced 
through capillary tubes with great force against 
a resisting surface with sufficient force to break 
up the milk globules, thus producing a more per- 
fect emulsion. 

There are many infant foods, some of them 
containing the nutrients of milk, and some that 
do not. But there are some of them good and 
useful, and others that are dangerous. If it is 
absolutely necessary to resort to artificial feed- 
ing it is best to consult a physician before using 
a prepared food. 



CHAPTER V. 

KEEPING THE COW WARM. 

We were just wondering how many farm- 
ers, stockmen and dairymen ever stop to think 
of just what effect cold has upon the animals 
under their care. 

The proper housing of animals of all kinds 
and especially milch cows, will greatly lessen 
the amount of food that they must necessarily 
consume, as when they are kept in cold barns, 
that have draughts and cold floors upon which 
the animals must stand and lie down upon, the 
animal must use much of the feed that is con- 
sumed to produce warmth for its body. The 
cow that is kept under such conditions or un- 
der conditions where she is subject to sudden 
and great changes in the temperature, will not 
produce nearly as much, as though she was kept 
in a nice warm barn, and could use this feed 
that would be used to produce warmth, for the 
production of milk instead. 

The, drinking of cold water, especially by 
32 



The Con) in Health and Disease. S3 

cows, has much the same effect, and water that 
is given cows in the winter time should if pos- 
sible, be heated to around fifty degrees Fahren- 
heit. Cold water occassionally causes colic in 
cows, especially in the winter season. Anyone can 
well afford to provide a means of heating the 
water for the cattle to drink and also provide a 
warm comfortable barn for them during the 
winter months, as the saving in feed and the 
increase in production of milk and of fat in those 
that are not milking will soon pay for the cost 
of securing the same. 

The feeding of frozen feeds has much the 
same effect as the drinking of cold water and 
is very apt to be injurious to those animals 
that eat it and for that reason no careful and 
conscientious feeder of cattle would think of 
feeding his farm animals frozen feed. 

Don't forget that a nice, warm, comfortable 
stable is a good investment and is absolutely nec- 
essary if you would derive the profits from your 
cows and other farm animals that is possible and 
that a heater for your watering tank is another 
good investment. 



CHAPTER VI. 

KEEPING THE COW CLEAN. 

There are many reasons why cows should 
be kept clean. Not only should they be kept 
clean so that they will remain more healthy, 
but it will be a very important factor in pro- 
ducing clean milk. 

The stall where the cow is kept should be 
well bedded with straw, so that the cow will 
keep herself clean and to lessen the risk of 
becoming sick from lying on the cold damp 
floor. 

The cow that is kept clean and free from 
dirt will not be so apt to become diseased as 
the cow that is allowed to become dirty and 
remain that way. The skin has a very im- 
portant function to perform in maintaining the 
health of the cow and can only perform this 
function when it is kept free from dirt and 
filth. 

The skin excretes a large part of the waste 
products from the body through the moisture 
that passes from the body by way of the skin, 
and helps maintain the body temperature by 

34 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 85 

cooling the blood that passes through the 
skin, where it becomes cooled and when it 
reaches the internal parts of the body it keeps 
it at a uniform temperature. The extra feed 
that will be required for the cow that is kept 
unclean will be of more value than the time 
and expense oi keeping her clean. 

The cow should be curried and brushed at 
least once each day and if she gets dirty in 
such a manner that it can not be brushed 
off then she should be washed and dried with 
a coarse cloth. Where electricity is available 
and the number of cow^s will warrant the ex- 
pense an electric machine may be procured for 
cleaning the cows. It is very easily operated, 
saves time and is very satisfactory. 

Construction of the Barn. 

The first thing to be thought of in construct- 
ing the dairy barn, is the health of the cows, as 
cows that can not be kept healthy are being kept 
at a loss and besides the products that are se- 
cured from them are dangerous to those who 
consume them. The things that are necessary 
for keeping the cows healthy are plenty of air 
space as each cow must have plenty of fresh 
air at all times, so the barn should be so con- 
structed as to provide 1,000 cubic feet of air space 
for each cow. The next thing is plenty of light 
as cows kept in dark stables do not produce well 
and besides they are not easily kept sanitary, as 
sunlight can not get in its work, therefore 



36 The Cow in Health and Disease, 

there should be four square feet of light for 
each cow. 

Cows that are uncomfortable are not able to 
produce as much as they otherwise would, 
therefore the stalls should be of sufficient 
width and length that the cow will be com- 
fortable when lying down, but only of such 
length that the droppings will fall into the 
manure pit and not upon the floor where the 
cow will become soiled. The size of the stall 
will vary some for different sized cows. A 
very large cow needing a floor about 5 feet 2 
inches long and 3 feet wide, while a smaller 
cow will require one about 4 feet 6 inches 
long and 3 feet wide. The stanchion should 
be of a swinging variety so that the animal 
can get its head in a comfortable position 
while lying down. 

The ventilation is one of the most important 
things to be considered as it is absolutely neces- 
sary to change the air and have it replaced 
by pure fresh air at frequent intervals, if we 
would keep the cows healthy. The ceiling 
should under no consideration be too low. 

The barn should be constructed of material 
that can be thoroughly and easily cleaned and 
thoroughly disinfected. For this reason concrete 
and steel have become much more popular in 
the construction of dairy barns than wood. 
The cow barn should be located where the 
drainage is good and away from any out-build- 
ings that are apt to give off an offensive odor. 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 87 

There should be no high sills where the cows 
must step over them or they may injure their 
udder in this way. 

An up-to-date cow barn should contain one 
or more large box stalls for cows that are 
calving and one or more calf stalls, w r here the 
calves may be kept after they are weaned. 

Up to the present time concrete or brick 
are much more satisfactory for the floors of 
the cow stable than wood and is used in almost 
all new stables that are being built now. They 
last much longer, require very little or no re- 
pair and can be easily and thoroughly cleaned 
and disinfected. 

Equipment of the Dairy Barn. 

Several firms make a special equipment for 
the cow barn and this equipment is made of 
steel. This is practically indestructible, is neat 
in appearance, but very little more expensive 
than wood fixtures, more compact, easily 
cleaned and kept clean, is not injured by damp- 
ness or disinfectants and is much more sani- 
tary. 

The stanchions are usually swung from both 
top and bottom by a short chain and this gives 
the cow much comfort when eating and while 
lying down. The feed troughs are so con- 
structed as to be easily cleaned and being 
tightly constructed they eliminate the waste of 
grain and semi-solid foods. 

One of the latest as well as one of the best 



88 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

of the modern fixtures that may be found in 
the cow barn is the individual watering trough 
or bowl which is kept partly filled with water 
at all times and is so constructed that the 
water flows into it as it is being drank by the 
cow and remains at a given level. This en- 
ables the cow to have water at any time she 
may wish it. 

During the summer months if the cows are 
kept stabled the placing of screens over the 
windows and doors will pay for themselves 
several times over in increased production. 

Tuberculosis. 

Tuberculosis is one of the most widely 
spread contagious diseases of any of the do- 
mestic animals and this is very forcibly 
brought to mind from the large number of 
carcasses and parts of carcasses that are con- 
demned each year at the different abbatoirs. 
The percentage of tuberculosis is much greater 
in dairy cattle than it is in beef cattle and 
this can be explained in this way. Dairy cows 
have the added work of producing milk and 
in addition to this they must furnish nourish- 
ment during several months of the year for 
the unborn young which is developing. This 
would necessarily lower the resistance of the 
dairy cow much more than that of the beef 
animal. The loss in the United States in a 
single year amounts to many millions of dol- 
lars, but the greatest factor to be thought of 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 39 

is the fact that it can be and is transmitted 
to human beings. The percentage of tubercu- 
losis among milk cows will be about ten per 
cent. 

Even though tuberculosis was not trans- 
missible to human beings it would be desirable 
to eradicate it from among our co . s from an 
economic standpoint, as it often destroys cat- 
tle outright by killing its victim, reduces the 
market value of the animal, lessens the produc- 
tion, injures the reputation of the animals for 
breeding purposes and carries infection to oth- 
er farm animals. 

The Cause of Tuberculosis. 

Tuberculosis is caused by a small germ 
called by the same name tuberculosis, but it is 
spoken of as bacterin tuberculosis in literature 
to indicate that it is a small rod shaped germ. 
This germ was discovered in 1882 by Dr. 
Robert Koch, but at that time it was thought 
of as a disease affecting people only and that 
there was only one form of germ that was 
responsible for tuberculosis wherever found, 
but it has been determined that while tuber- 
culosis may be transmitted from animal to man 
that the tuberculosis germ that affects cows 
and that which affects human beings are two 
separate and distinct germs, but are very 
similar in characteristics. 

The germ that causes tuberculosis is very 
small and can only be seen by a high powered 



40 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

microscope and it would take several thou- 
sand of them placed end to end to make a 
column one inch long. 

Nature of Tuberculosis. 

Tuberculosis is thought by many to be dis- 
tinctly a condition affecting the lungs but 
such is not the case. It may be found in any 
part or any organ of the body. The condition 
may be quite extensive or it may be so slight 
as to be almost unnoticeable. 

It is frequently found in the membranes lin- 
ing the abdominal cavity and the cavity sur- 
rounding the lungs and when so it usually 
has the appearance of very small rounded 
nodules which may be very thickly studded 
over the surface or may be very few in num- 
bers. These small nodules have the appearance 
of pearls hence this condition has often been 
spoken of as "Pearly Disease." 

In other cows the lymph glands which are 
situated throughout the body are affected and 
the substance which they contain is cheesy like 
in appearance and when cut into seems gritty. 
The lymph glands are those little glands situ- 
ated in the thin membranous curtain which 
holds the intestines in position. They are also 
found along the top-most portion of the lung 
and many other parts of the body. They range 
in size from a kernel of wheat to the size of a 
small hickory nut. 

When the lungs are affected they become 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 41 

heavy and solid and light in color and usually 
contain large quantities of pus and also por- 
tions of the lung will have become necrotic 
and broken down. This process gradually 
spreads but it sometimes requires several 
months to bring about the death of the animal. 
These lesions may also be found inside the 
bones, within the spinal cord or the brain and 
this is the reason that some animals are killed 
after reacting to the tuberculin test and no 
signs of the disease can be found. 

Symptoms of Tuberculosis. 

It may seem very strange to hear it said 
that there are no symptoms by which tuber- 
culosis can be recognized with any certainty in 
the live cow but such is the case. There are 
cases of tuberculosis in which a diagnosis can 
be made, but these cases are usually very pro- 
nounced cases and are also very rare. There 
are very many symptoms that would make one 
suspicious of tuberculosis, but many times 
these are not noticeable; we have observed 
many surprised cow owners when having their 
herds tested, at the large number of reactors 
that were found. Since about 10 per cent of 
the cows in the United States are thought to 
be tubercular, it is well to suspect this disease 
in all untested cows that show any signs of a 
constitutional disturbance that tends to be 
chronic. 

Cows that lose flesh and remain thin even 



42 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

with good care and feed ; that have a dry harsh 
coat of hair that is stareing; that have an irre- 
gular appetite, or digestive troubles ; those that 
fail to get with calf ; that cough and appear to 
be weak and listless, can very safely be sus- 
picioned as being tubercular. 

The Tuberculin Test. 

The only positive way of finding out whether 
a cow has tuberculosis or not is to have her 
tested by a competent veterinarian. In our. 
opinion no one save one who has had a veteri- 
nary training can successfully make the tuber- 
culin test, and for that reason we can not 
give the method of making the test here. 

The tuberculin test has proven to be more 
than 98 per cent correct from many thousands 
of tests that have been followed by the post- 
mortem on the tested animals. 

There are two methods of making this test 
that are being used today; they are the tem- 
peratuie test and intra-dermal test. In mak- 
ing the temperature test which is the only one 
recognized by the United States government 
and many of the states, the tuberculin is in- 
jected under the skin and beginning several 
hours afterward the temperature is taken sev- 
eral times at regular intervals. An elevation 
of temperature of 2 degrees above the norma) 
temperature of the animal before the injection 
of tuberculin is considered a reaction and the 
cow is tubercular. In the other method a very 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 43 

small needle is used and a concentrated tuber- 
culin is used and is injected between the two 
layers of the skin. This injection is usually 
made in the fold of skin reaching from the 
tail to the anus. An enlargement or thicken- 
ing of this fold of skin indicates that the animal 
is tubercular. The latter method can be more 
easily applied and we believe just as positive 
in its reactions. It requires a greater expe- 
rience to enable the veterinarian to use the 
intra-dermal or the skin test. 

Many cow owners are of the opinion that 
the tuberculin test is harmful to their cows, 
but nothing could be farther from the truth as 
there can not possibly be a live germ in the 
tuberculin after it is prepared and ready to use. 
In the preparation of tuberculin it is boiled 
several times and also filtered through the 
finest porcelain filters which are capable of 
holding up any germs that can be seen by the 
aid of a microscope. So it is well to keep in 
mind that tuberculin can not possibly do your 
cows any harm and that it is the only reliable 
method that we have of determining the pres- 
ence of tuberculosis in the cow. 

The Control of Tuberculosis. 

After we have learned that a cow has tuber- 
culosis or that a herd of cows have tubercular 
ones among them, the question of the best way 
to dispose of them, comes to our attention. 
There are many things that govern this, among 



44 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

them being the value of the animal, the ex- 
tent of the disease, the value of the animal for 
breeding purpose, etc. 

If the herd is very small and the cattle are 
of common type and of ordinary value the best 
thing to do is to send them to some abbattoir 
that has government inspection and sell them 
subject to inspection and in this way you will 
receive just what they are worth to the packer 
as shown by the inspection. 

If there is only a few animals out of a large 
herd that are found to be diseased they can 
be separated from the well ones and the others 
retested at intervals of six months while the 
diseased ones should be destroyed. 

If the herd contains some valuable breed- 
ing animals that are tubercular they may be 
separated from those that are well and kept 
in separate stables and separate pastures and 
the calves as soon as dropped are removed 
and fed upon the milk of healthy nurse cows or 
on pasteurized milk. In this way diseased 
cows can many times produce a number of 
valuable calves and help build up the herd. 
By this method which is known as the Bang 
method it is often possible to realize a reason- 
able salvage on some valuable breeding cows. 

Regardless of the method that is used in dis- 
posing of the tubercular cows, a thorough dis- 
infection of the barn in which these animals 
have been kept should be performed as soon as 
they are removed. 



CHAPTER VII. 

CLEANING THE BARN. 

With the increase of contagious and infectious 
diseases among people and live stock, and since 
so many diseases are transmissible from ani- 
mals to human beings, it becomes necessary to 
take all practical and useful precautions to guard 
against such conditions. 

Cities and municipalities are everywhere realiz- 
ing the importance of maintaining sanitary sur- 
roundings for their citizens and have officers 
that look after this line of work. They are a 
great help to any city, and in fact are a neces- 
sity in any city of a few thousand people. No 
city could profitably dispense with this impor- 
tant officer. There is no reason why such an 
officer would not be able to do a great deal of 
good among the rural folks by educating and 
instructing them concerning the many advantages 
of keeping the farms as free from diseases and 
as clean and sanitary as possible. 

Of late years many of the animal diseases have 
been steadily increasing, such as tuberculosis, 

45 



46 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

contagious abortion, and hog cholera, and others. 
Thorough sanitation would greatly lessen the fre- 
quency of these diseases and stop the spread of 
them. These diseases are causing the farmers 
to lose millions of dollars each year. 

The general condition of many farm build- 
ings makes it next to impossible to render them 
sanitary to any degree worthy of the name. The 
floors of many stables are worn and contain large 
cracks through which the manure and urine pass 
and in which countless varieties of disease germs 
are to be found. Since cement has become so 
popular as a building material, it greatly assists 
in maintaining sanitary surroundings for the 
farm animals, as nearly all the floors of barns 
and stables are now made of concrete, and in cow 
stables and hog pens it is possible to use the iron 
fixtures that make it convenient to do a thorough 
job when disinfecting and cleaning the building. 

In cleaning up the stable all the trash should 
be removed from the manger, the bedding re- 
moved, and the dirt and cobwebs swept from the 
sides and ceilings. If the floor i& of cement 
you can use a bichloride of mercury solution on 
the floors and a hot lime wash on the stalls and 
mangers, or a carbolic acid or ^oal tar disin- 
fectant. The harness may be disinfected with 
creolin or some coal tar disinfectant, but do not 
use the bichloride of mercury solution. The same 
procedure can be carried out in the cow stable. 
If it can be made air tight, you may use one 
pound of permanganate of potash to 20 ounces 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 47 

of formalin for each 1,000 feet of space. The 
permanganate should be placed in a metal ves- 
sel and then set in a metal tub partly filled with 
water, then the formalin should be poured in 
with potash. The operator should not be long 
in getting away from this solution as it produces 
a very strong gas that is very hard on the eyes ; 
it should be watched through a window or crack 
for a few seconds to see that it does not take 
fire. The building should be closed for 24 hours. 

One ounce of bichloride of mercury to 8 gal- 
lons of water is strong enough to kill any of the 
disease germs when used in sufficient quantities. 
Care must be taken as it is very poisonous. 
Creolin or any of the coal tar disinfectants should 
be used in about 5 per cent solution of water. 

Take about 100 pounds of quick lime and 60 
pounds of water and slack it, this forming hydrate 
of lime; of this take 1 part to four parts of 
water, which should be hot, and after straining 
apply with a spray pump. One pound of the 
chloride of lime to every three or four gallons 
greatly increases its value. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE AVERAGE FARM COW. 

In our work as practicing veterinarians we 
see almost all kinds of cows — that is, the kind 
that are kept by the average farmer. It may 
seem absurd, but we believe that there are few 
farmers who really give very much thought 
or attention to their cows. The reason that 
most farmers keep poor cows is that they do 
not have any idea what the cost of the pro- 
duction is. They figure only the amount of 
production. We firmly believe that more than 
50 per cent of farmers' cows in this section of 
Ohio are boarders. We can not understand 
why farmers do not keep accounts and find 
just where they stand. It is poor business to 
keep live stock that does not pay, yet that is 
just what many farmers are doing in the rich- 
est section of Ohio, and in all the other states, 
for that matter. 

Many farm cows are existing at the expense of 
some of the other live stock on the farm. The 
failure of the average farm cow is not always her 

48 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 49 

fault. The best cow will not be a good invest- 
ment if she does not receive good care and 
proper feeding. The average farmer pays too 
little attention to his cows ; usually he just throws 
the feed into them and lets them take care of 
themselves. 

One of the greatest crimes against the cows is 
the utter disregard of breeds. We find cows that 
are inbred and others that have 2 or 3 crosses to 
other breeds ; frequently these crosses are antag- 
onistic to each other. It seems that most farm- 
ers breed to the bull that is handiest, regardless 
of his individuality or breeding. No attention is 
paid to conformation. These mongrel bulls or 
barnyard lunkheads are losing the farmers of 
the United States vast sums Of money each year. 

In many sections farmers are beginning to 
breed for better animals. It does not matter so 
much whether the farmer keeps all purebred 
stock, but he should always strive to breed for 
those characteristics that go with the particular 
kind of animal that he wants. Personally, we 
would rather have an extra good individaul that 
was not purebred than a purebred that was lack- 
ing in many of those characteristics that belong 
to its kind. The immature and small cow is often 
kept for breeding purposes just because her dam 
was a good cow. This should not be done, as 
often this poor individual is the result of mixed 
breeding. 

The average cow is fed on the coarsest of 
roughage, with very little grain. Usually the 



50 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

grain is corn, which is not even ground. One 
can not expect a cow to go through a winter in 
good shape and produce a good quantity of milk 
on such feed. Many are now feeding silage and 
this is helping them out of their difficulties. 
Such feeds as linseed meal, cottonseed meal, bran, 
roots, alfalfa and clover hay are proper for the 
cow. 

Many of the cows on the farm are kept in an 
open yard without any shelter at all, and others 
are kept in a shed full of cracks through which 
the winds blow over the animals. The stanchions 
are either too short or are so long that the ani- 
mal must lie in the filth and dirt, many times 
without bedding of any kind. The surroundings 
of cows have a great influence upon their produc- 
tion. 



CHAPTER IX. 

HOW TO SELECT A GOOD COW. 

The business of dairying has rapidly become 
commercialized during the last few years owing 
to the competition. While prices for dairy prod- 
ucts have increased in value during the last few 
years they have not increased in value in the 
same proportion that labor and feed have in- 
creased. For these reasons it requires a skill- 
ful business man at this time to milk cows at a 
fair profit. 

The average farm cow has a very poor chance 
to return a profit to her owner, from the fact 
that she is usually improperly fed. She is often 
kept in a cold, dark, damp stable that is poorly 
ventilated, and she is fed largely roughage with 
very little grain and no concentrates. It is esti- 
mated that there are twenty-two million cows in 
the United States and that of this number only 
about seven million are returning a profit to 
their owners, but by good care and proper feed- 
ing about half of those that are kept at a loss 
could be made to yield a profit. 
51 



52 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

The average farmer milks his cows over seven 
hundred times each year and consumes on an 
average of better than twenty-seven days in do- 
ing so . Is it any wonder then that the average 
farmer does not like to keep cows when he feels 
that they are not making him a good profit when 
it takes so much time and labor to care for 
them? 

As each cow in the herd is different from 
every other one, she must be fed and cared for 
in a different manner perhaps than the others to 
produce her best. It requires judgment and skill 
to be able to feed and care for a cow so that she 
will produce the limit of her capacity and this 
capacity can only be acquired by careful, con- 
scientious study and a close application of this 
knowledge in practice. Each cow should be cared 
for just as though she were a highly developed 
piece of machinery and then she will produce 
economically and profitably. In selecting cows 
for the productive ability, there are several es- 
sential features that usually show on the ex- 
terior of the cow and the man that buys a cow 
should be able to distinguish the most of these if 
he would secure a good one. 

There are a few characteristics that are found 
in every cow that is a good producer, being more 
or less pronounced according to the cow's pro- 
ductive ability. A cow to be a good producer 
must have a good constitution, capacity to eat 
and digest large quantities of food, nervous tem- 
perament, which means that she must be an 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 53 

active worker and not a loafer, circulation means 
that she must have a large and well developed 
supply of blood flowing through the udder from 
which the milk is secreted, and by ability we 
mean the power the cow has of secreting milk. 
While a cow might have any four of these char- 
acteristics, she would not be an extra good co\^ 
without the fifth. 

In selecting a cow it is always best to view tht 
cow from the side and from some little distance, 
while she is standing with her side toward you 
or while someone is leading her by you, as you 
are able in this way to get a very good impres- 
sion as to her constitution and capacity in this 
way and do not forget that your first impres- 
sion is usually the best. It is then well to walk 
around the cow to the other side, as cows do not 
always look the same from both sides, and then 
to walk to the front where a good view of the 
head, horns, eyes and the chest and barrel may 
be seen and then step to the rear of the cow 
where the udder and tail and width of the hips 
may be seen. Then walk by the cow with one 
hand traveling along the neck and back where 
the condition as to fat may be observed, while 
with the other hand the texture of the skin may 
be determined by grasping it and pulling it out 
from the body. Next milk the cow or have some- 
one else do so and examine the udder carefully. 
A soft pliable elastic skin indicates a good diges- 
tive apparatus, while a dry harsh clinging hide 
indicates poor digestion. 



54 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

A cow to be a good producer must be a worker. 
She cannot be a loafer. We have termed this 
nervous temperament, and we mean by that a 
highly developed nervous system that produces 
constant activity of the animal. A cow that is 
chewing her cud when she is not eating and one 
that is always ready for her meals and that al- 
ways takes note of her surroundings. This is in- 
dicated by a large wide forehead that slopes to 
the poll and width between the eyes, also by 
prominent hips and ribs and a lean open jointed 
backbone that is free from fat. 

The udder of the high producing cows is usual- 
ly a network of veins and blood vessels and the 
milk veins passing along the abdomen are large 
and torturous. The milk wells are larger and 
more numerous than in the light producer. The 
blood that flows through the udder determines 
the milk flow and the udder that is attached high 
on the back and far forward along the abdomen 
has greater surface that is supplied with these 
vessels and the flow of milk is correspondingly 
heavy. The thighs should be free from fat and 
form an arch, the widest part of which should 
be on the level with the attachment of the udder, 
which gives it plenty of space. 

While it is always desirable to combine with 
the facts already given, symmetry of form and 
beauty, this is not always possible and besides it 
is no indication of greatness of production as 
many of the best cows we have ever seen are 
more or less deficient in these two characteristics. 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 55 

Size is not an indication of the probable value 
of a cow as a producer, but is many times taken 
as such an indication by the inexperienced. Color 
is only a breed index and is of consideration only 
in that light. 



CHAPTER X. 

CARING FOR THE SICK COW. 

A great many people are of the opinion that 
simply because a cow is a dumb brute, when she 
happens to be sick, she will get well with very 
little attention. Many cows are lost each year 
because they are neglected and not properly 
cared for during sickness, while oftentimes an 
animal, whose illness would have proved fatal 
under usual conditions, recovered, due to the 
good care received. 

The first thing to do in caring for a sick 
cow is to get her into a comfortable box stall. 
This should be well bedded with dry bedding and, 
while it should have plenty of fresh air, it should 
be free from draughts. Plenty of light should be 
provided, unless some condition of the eyes is 
affecting the cow, in which case the stall should 
be darkened. If possible get as far from noise 
and excitement as possible where the animal can 
be kept quiet. 

The stall should be screened in the summer 
months to keep out flies. If this is impossible, 
56 



The Cow in Health and Disease, 57 

the cow should be covered with a fly sheet or 
some fly repellant may be sprayed upon her and 
in the stall. In winter the cow should be pro- 
tected by warm blankets. 

Cows that are convalescing from sickness of 
any kind should not be exposed to cold rains, or 
to stormy or extremely hot weather. Cows that 
have gotten dirty should be cleaned by currying 
or by sponging off with warm water, after which 
they should be dried. Cows that are suffering 
with fevers should have plenty of fresh water 
before them at all times, and it is sometimes 
beneficial to take a dose syringe or a drench 
bottle and rinse out the mouth with cold water 
two or three times each day. 

The attendant should use care in carrying out 
the veterinarian's instructions, and the patient 
should get the medicine regularly and in the pre- 
scribed dosage. Do not miss a dose and then at 
the next dose double it, as this will sometimes be 
dangerous, if not a fatal procedure. Observe in- 
structions carefully and do not risk the dangers 
of following suggestions that may happen to be 
offered by disinterested parties ; most of these are 
harmless, but many times irreparable damage 
may be done by their use, so do not do anything 
but what your veterinarian tells you to do. 

Feeding the Sick Cow. 

We have observed many times an attendant 
preparing a meal for a sick cow, placing it be- 
fore her and paying no further attention to it 



58 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

other than observing from time to time whether 
or not it had been eaten. Sometimes this meal 
consisted of a bran mash or a thin slop. Such 
feed quickly starts to ferment in warm weather 
and, if the patient does not eat any of it within 
one or two hours after it has been placed be- 
fore her, it should be removed. The sight of 
food continually would have the same effect on 
cows under some conditions as it would have 
upon human beings, causing them to become 
nauseated. 

A sick person usually relishes a change of diet, 
something fresh and appetizing, some fruit or 
vegetables of some kind. In this respect a cow 
does not differ from human beings. 

We have often been able to get cows to eat 
by offering them cabbage, turnips, carrots, 
apples, etc. Especially is this true during the 
winter months and the early spring. 

When it is seasonable, young corn plants are 
sometimes relished by our • patients. Always re- 
member that the appetite may be greatly stimu- 
lated at times by the use of some fruit or vege- 
tables or other appetizing substances which cows 
relish. Be careful lest you overfeed the patient 
after she starts eating. 

In preparing mashes or thin slops do not fail 
to salt them well and do not feed them too hot 
nor yet too cold. 

If the patient is greatly weakened a drench 
composed of five or six eggs well beaten up 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 59 

and placed in a quart of sweet milk may be given 
two or three times each day. 

A tea made by steeping bright alfalfa or clover 
hay may be offered to the patient. The hay 
should be cut up well with shears and packed in 
a large pail, after which boiling water is poured 
over it and the pail covered with blankets. This 
is allowed to stand for a couple of hours, after 
which the liquid is poured off and offered to the 
patient just slightly warmed. 

Only the best quality of feed obtainable should 
be offered to the sick animal and care should 
be taken that she be not overfed. Fresh and pure 
water should be before the patient constantly. 



CHAPTER XL 

DISEASES OF DIGESTIVE SYSTEM. 

Digestive disturbances among cattle are very 
common and are usually the result of some error 
in the quantity, the quality or the manner of 
feeding. The cow has four stomachs or, rather, 
four separate compartments of the stomach. The 
paunch, which is the largest, is the receptacle that 
holds the food as it is first swallowed, and will 
hold as much as 60 gallons. This is a reservoir 
for the food that is eaten by the cow and is 
afterward remasticated. This remastication is 
the process that is going on while the cow is 
"chewing her cud," and is also known as "rumi- 
nating." 

The first three compartments of the stomach 
are of value only in preparing the food for diges- 
tion which really takes place in the fourth part 
of the stomach, or the true stomach. The third 
part of the stomach is arranged like the leaves in 
a. book and, after the food has been remasticated, 
it passes into this third compartment and is 
pressed and strained into the fourth stomach 
where the true digestive process takes place. 
60 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 61 

The feed that is given the cow should be good 
quality that of bad quality may ferment, caus- 
ing indigestion and occasionally other chronic 
disease conditions. Feeds that contain too large 
a part of indigestible material are liable to cause 
such a severe strain upon the digestive organs as 
to overwork them, thus producing diseases of 
various kinds. Feeds that are affected with the 
various rusts, molds and fungi will often cause 
severe and violent inflammation of the digestive 
tract, accompanied by colicky pains and diar- 
rhoeas. They may also cause the development 
of dangerous and often fatal ptomaines. 

Cows should be fed only at regular intervals 
and the feeding should not be done at any con- 
venient time, as is often practiced. The digestive 
organs accustomed to doing their work at stated 
intervals are not nearly so apt to become over- 
worked. 

Feed should not be too rich in nutrients nor too 
concentrated, as cows are unable to subsist on 
feeds that do not furnish the required bulk. 
Cows require a certain bulk in their ration and it 
has been determined that a cow requires some- 
where in the neighborhood of 25 pounds of 
roughage per day, as a necessary part of her 
ration. If the digestive organs are not properly 
distended the cow will become restless and show 
evidence of digestive disturbance. There would 
be no objection, however, in feeding a concen- 
trated feed high in nutrients and containing very 
little bulk by itself, if at some other time in the 



62 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

day the required amount of roughage were fed. 

Cows that have been on a fixed ration for 
some time should not have their ration changed 
suddenly. Such a change should be worked out 
gradually, by adding a little of the feed to which 
it is desired to make the change to the feed that 
is being used, and by decreasing the latter a 
little at each feeding. The digestive organs be- 
come accustomed to the work required to digest 
a certain feed after it has been fed for some time. 
The glands also become accustomed to secret- 
ing the amount of digestive secretions that are 
necessary to carry on digestion of the existing 
ration. Thus any radical and sudden change in 
feeds given dees not allow the various organs 
time to regulate their functions to the sudden 
change, and so digestive disturbances and some- 
times a decided loss of weight result. Cows have 
been known to lose as much as 25 to 100 pounds 
from a sudden and radical change in the ration. 

In cold weather, when it is possible, the drink- 
ing water should be heated to about 50 degrees. 
When given very cold it sometimes produces 
colic. Cows should be watered often and the 
water should always be pure and clean and not 
too cold. 

Salivation or Slobbering. 

Salivation or slobbering is a local condition and 
not a symptom of any such diseases as foot-an- 
mouth disease or rabies. Such symptoms may be 
caused by foreign substances, such as nails and 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 63 

short pieces of wire, becoming imbedded in the 
tongue or the cheek, or by the lodging of a foreign 
substance between the upper molar teeth. They 
may also result from eating poisonous or acrid 
plants or weeds, such as wild mustard. Saliva- 
tion may also be caused by eating damaged or 
spoiled feed or sharp ensilage. If due to the 
feed this should be discontinued at once. As local 
treatment dissolve a level tablespoonful of pul- 
verized alum in one-half pint of water and syringe 
out the mouth twice each day. 

If it is caused by some foreign substance be- 
coming lodged in the muscular structures of the 
tongue or cheek it should be removed. In ex- 
amining the mouth of the cow the tongue should 
be firmly grasped and pulled out of the mouth 
and a mouth gag or a speculum should be in- 
serted between the teeth to keep the mouth open. 
A mouth gag is nothing more than a small block 
of wood to which is attached a piece of spring 
metal to hold it in place and it lies inserted be- 
tween the molar teeth. It is safer and more prac- 
tical than a mouth speculum. 

The Teeth. 

The teeth of cows do not receive the same at- 
tention that is given the teeth of horses, yet cows 
have much more trouble with their teeth than 
the average farmer supposes. They have irregu- 
larities that may come from the unequal grinding 
of the teeth and from the sand that is sometimes 
picked^ up with the grass. Occasionally fche 



64 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

teeth are broken or split by biting on some hard 
object that is picked up with the feed. Cavities, 
due to injuries to the enamel, are often found in 
the teeth. Ulceration of the teeth is quite com- 
mon in milk cows and usually affects the upper 
molars. A hard swelling appears on the cow's 
face below the eye; it grows rapidly larger in 
size, is tender to the touch and the cow will often 
show that it is difficult for her to eat. This en- 
largement opens in the course of several days if 
it is not properly treated and then discharges a 
small quantity of very foul-smelling pus. Once 
in a while an extra tooth will be found that inter- 
feres with eating in some way; this is known as 
a supernumerary tooth. 

To examine the cow's teeth it is necessary to 
use the gag or speculum previously described, 
and the examination should be made in a good 
light. If the teeth are uneven, due to grinding, 
they should have the sharp points removed by 
the same method that is used in horses. If it 
is necessary to extract any tooth or part of a 
tooth it will be necessary to cast the cow and tie 
her securely so that the head can be properly 
controlled. As soon as a swelling is noticed that 
would indicate there is an ulceration at the root 
of the tooth the swelling should be painted twice 
daily with tincture of iodin. If this treatment 
fails to bring marked improvement within a few 
days a veterinarian should be called to drill with 
a bone drill through the bone at the swelling to 
liberate the pus and remove the tooth, which is 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 65 

usually diseased, then treat as any other abscess 
cavity. 

Inflammation of the Mouth. 

Occasionally cattle are affected with sore 
mouth, due to eating irritant plants or spoiled 
feed and sometimes to sharply cut ensilage. 
When the mouth is examined it is found to be 
dry and hot ; the tongue and cheeks are very red. 
The animal is often bothered in eating and drink- 
ing while in this condition. 

If the condition is not too severe it will cor- 
rect itself in a short time, otherwise the feed 
should be soft and of a liquid nature, such as 
mashes and slops, and the mouth may be rinsed 
out twice each day with three or four ounces of 
the following solution : Pulverized alum one 
ounce, potassium chlorate, one ounce, and water 
to make one quart. 

Sore Throat. 

This is an inflammation of the mucous mem- 
brane lining the throat and is very seldom found 
alone, but usually associated with some of the 
more severe respiratory diseases, such as pneu- 
monia, bronchitis or pleurisy. 

The muzzle is dry and the saliva dribbles from 
the corners of the mouth. The head is slightly 
extended and held rigid. The eyes are drawn 
so that the animal has a sleepy appearance. The 
animal stands quietly, scarcely changing its posi- 
tion, and the eyes are bloodshot. It drinks with 



S6 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

great difficulty, and may chew some food but 
may drop it from the mouth rather than make an 
attempt to swallow it; water is taken into the 
mouth but instead of swallowing it the animal 
allows it to run out between the lips. 

The water that is offered the animal should 
be warmed, and the feed should consist of slops 
and mashes and hay or linseed teas. No coarse, 
harsh feeds of any kind, such as hay or fodder, 
should be given. Take an eight-ounce bottle and 
in this place one ounce of tincture of iron chloride 
and fill with glycerine; then place one ounce of 
this mixture on the tongue three times each day. 
Bathe well the region under the throat and be- 
tween the lower jaw bones with ammonia or 
white liniment two or three times each day. 
Keep the animal in a well ventilated yet warm 
stall and do not allow it to be exposed to the 
weather or storms. Recovery should take place 
in from three or four days to one week. 

Mumps. 

This is an inflammation of the parotid gland 
and occurs in cows of almost all ages and un- 
der almost all conditions and different kinds 
of care. The parotid gland lies just under the 
ear and extends downward to about the angle 
of the jaw. 

This condition usually starts with a chill 
which is quickly followed by high fever in 
many cases. The head is extended as if the 
neck is stiff and a slight swelling is noticed 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 67 

in the region of the parotid gland. If only 
one side is affected the head will be turned to 
one side. This swelling is very tender to the 
touch and the animal will try to avoid having 
it manipulated. This swelling usually reaches 
its height in about 24 hours. The animal 
usually refuses all feed and may attempt to 
drink a little water, but may desist due to the 
pain it causes. 

The animal should be placed in a well venti- 
lated, yet warm and comfortable, box stall ; 
water should be placed where it can be easily 
reached. Thin slops and mashes should be 
offered, but no fodders or hays. Paint the 
swelling three times daily for the first three 
or four days with tincture of iodin, and after 
that once each day. Recovery in most times 
takes place in from a week to ten days but in 
aggravated cases and where abscess develop- 
ment takes place the recovery may be delayed 
for three or four weeks. If abcess forms in 
the gland a veterinarian should be called as 
soon as the presence of pus can be determined 
by pressure of the gland with the fingers, and 
he should liberate the pus at once by the use 
of a sharp knife. The bacterin treatment as 
applied by veterinarians is very valuable in 
this condition. 

Bloat. 

This condition is also known as hoven or 
tympanites. It is characterized by a filling up 



68 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

of the left flank and by the formation of gas. 
It is brought about by a wide variety of con- 
ditions but chiefly by eating spoiled feed, or 
feed that is wet with dew or rain, or it may 
result from eating too fast which produces in- 
digestion with a rapid fermentation and for- 
mation of gas. It may also result from choke 
due to the closing of the gullet which prevents 
the belching of the gas, and consequently the 
retention of gas causes the bloating. It may 
also result from the eating of frozen roots or 
grass, or vegetables such as turnips, cabbage 
and the like. It is caused most often from eat- 
ing clover which is wet with dew or rain and 
in many cases is fatal before the animal is 
found. Most digestive disturbances are ac- 
companied by bloating. 

The swelling in the left flank becomes so 
great that it sometimes extends above the level 
of the back. Breathing becomes fast and dif- 
ficult. The eyes have an anxious and painful 
expression. As bloating continues the animal 
shows symptoms of great pain and may reel 
and stagger when it walks. Death is caused 
from the pressing forward of the diaphragm 
upon the lungs which results in asphyxiation. 

If the animal is in immedate danger it should 
be tapped immediately. If it is not possible to 
procure immediately a trocar, which is made 
especially for tapping, use a sharp butcher or 
pocket knife. Do not attempt to procure anti- 
septics and sterilize the spot where the incision 



Ike Cow in Health and Disease. 69 

is to be made if the cow is in immediate danger. 
The animal should be tapped midway between 
the last rib and the point of the hip and about 
the same distance from the backbone. When 
the animal is not in immediate danger a rope 
gag is made by tying knots in a rope and 
placing this bunch of knots in the mouth and 
passing the ends of the rope up over the head 
a here they are tied. The animal by chewing 
the knots in an effort to dislodge them will 
cause the secretion of saliva with swallowing. 
The gas will then pass off by way of the gullet 
or oesophagus. 

There are several anti-ferments that are 
good for the treatment of bloat in preventing 
the formation of the gas. From two to four 
tablespoonfuls of spirits of turpentine given in 
one-half pint of linseed oil, or in milk, will 
sometimes be all that is required. Possibly the 
best treatment is one and one-half to two 
tablespoonful of formalin in one quart of water 
as a drench. This treatment has been credited 
to workers at the Kentucky State Agricultural 
College. 

Uroptropin is another medicine that can be 
used to treat bloat. It is a white granular sub- 
stance with a slightly bitter taste and looks 
somewhat like coarse granulated sugar. It 
is made from ammonia and formaldehyde and 
should be kept in a tightly corked bottle. Give 
from two to four level teaspoonfuls in a half- 
pint of water and repeat in an hour and a half 



70 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

if necessary. It is not irritating to the mucous 
membranes while formaldehyde is, unless it is 
well diluted. 

Impaction of the Rumen. 

This condition is one of the most difficult to 
handle due to the fact that it is quite hard to 
diagnose the condition and many times the ani- 
mal is overtreated. The symptoms of this con- 
dition are very irregular. It is the result of 
an animal eating too much food or eating feeds 
that were not fit for feeding. 

A cow with an impaction may eat until the 
condition becomes very grave or she may re- 
fuse feed altogether. In all cases one can hear 
a grunt when the animal breathes. In some 
cases it can be heard all the time and at other 
times it may be heard only occasionally. In 
standing behind the cow the backbone appears 
to curve upward and to the left. By pressing 
in the region of the rumen its contents feel soft 
and doughy or rather firm, and the indentation 
made by the fist will remain for some little 
time after the fist is removed. 

In the treatment the first and most impor- 
tant thing to do is to remove all feed. Water 
should be allowed freely. Stimulants and anti- 
ferments constitute the balance of the treat- 
ment. One-half teaspoonful of fluid extract of 
nux vomica should be given every three or four 
hours and one teaspoonful of salol should be 
given with it to prevent fermentation. As soon 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 71 

as the cow begins to chew her cud and act 
natural she should receive a dose of castor or 
linseed oil. There are two operations that are 
necessary to cure impaction when it is deter- 
mined that medicinal treatment is of no avail, 
but these operations can be performed only by 
a veterinarian. 

Choke. 

Choke in cattle is usually the result of swal- 
lowing turnips, apples, beets, potatoes and the 
like, and sometimes from gorging chaff or straw. 
It is quite common in the fall of the year in cows 
that are pastured in orchards, especially after a 
sudden windstorm that blows the apples from 
the trees to where they may be eaten by the cow. 

The animal that is choked will show a varied 
line of symptoms and it is sometimes difficult to 
tell whether the animal is choked or not. When 
drinking water, it will return through the 
mouth if the choke is complete, but if the 
gullet is not entirely closed the animal will 
be able to swallow. If the gullet is entirely 
closed the animal will usually bloat, owing 
to the fact that the gas that is constantly 
being formed in the paunch cannot be passed 
upward through the gullet with the food that 
is being remasticated, and thus accumulates 
in the paunch. Sometimes the breathing is 
quickened. 

If the object lodges in the throat and assistants 
can be procured to hold the animal, a mouth gag 



72 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

may be used and the hand passed over the base 
of the tongue and the object grasped and re- 
moved. It is quite difficult and in most cases 
impossible to locate the choke in cows, but if 
possible a firm massage with pressure directed 
upward may do some good, and if judgment is 
used no harm will result. Do not take two hard 
objects, such as stones or bricks, and strike them 
together over the seat of the choke in an attempt 
to crush whatever may be the cause. This will 
produce injury to the gullet worse than the choke, 
and besides, it is barbarous. Do not run a whip- 
stock or broomstock down the throat in an effort 
to dislodge the choke; this is dangerous. We 
have obtained the best results the past few years 
by administering apomorphine hydrochloride hy- 
podermically. In our experience any choke that 
can not be relieved by this method, can not be 
relieved by any other by which the animal's life 
may be saved. Meddlesome interference in such 
cases as these is dangerous. Do not attempt to 
drench a cow when in this condition, as she may 
breathe in some of the drench and die. 

Depraved Appetite. 

This condition is also known as pica. It is 
an abnormal appetite for foreign bodies and in- 
digestible substances. Cows so affected will eat 
old shoes, rags, wire, manure, stalks and any 
other indigestible substances that they may hap- 
pen to procure. This affects the family cow 
much more often than it does cows that are in a 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 73 

herd. It is supposed by most authorities that 
this condition is due to a slight derangement of 
the digestive system. Cows will leave good nu- 
tritious feed of the very best quality to eat stalks 
and manure and seem to relish them. This would 
indicate that the condition is due to an unbalanced 
ration. 

As soon as it is noticed in a cow special atten- 
tion should be paid to the ration. A liberal allow- 
ance of salt will sometimes remedy the trouble, 
but in case it does not, one ounce of tincture of 
iodin should be placed in an eight-ounce bottle 
and the remainder filled with glycerine. Give 
the cow one ounce of this mixture night and 
morning. If this condition is not corrected in 
some cows they will become unthrifty, hide 
bound, lose flesh and frequently suffer from a 
complication of diseases. Cows that are so af- 
fected should have the mouth examined for any 
possible injuries. 

Overfeeding. 

Overfeeding usually affects the family cow, 
especially the city-owned cow. Most of these 
cases do not present any predominating symp- 
toms by which the condition may be diagnosed. 
The feed that such cows received and the man- 
ner in which they receive it, warrants us in diag- 
nosing all cases that show no pronounced symp- 
toms as this condition until something shows up 
that enables us to make a correct diagnosis. We 
are justified in treating all obscure diseases of 



74 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

city cows as overfeeding until recovery takes 
place or until symptoms show themselves by 
which the condition may be recognized. 

The first and most important thing in the 
treatment is the taking away of all feed. Allow 
water often, but in small quantities. Give a 
laxative of epsom salts and enforce starvation 
until recovery. 

Loss of Appetite. 

The animal usually, if not always, fails to pre- 
sent any symptoms by which the veterinarian 
can arrive at a solution of the cause of the trou- 
ble. The cow just seems unnatural and does not 
have the appetite that she should have, some- 
times failing to eat at all. As nothing else seems 
wrong, the owner often fails to call the veterin- 
arian until two or three days have elapsed. Even 
after careful examination one will be unable to 
find anything that would indicate that the cow 
is sick. It is due probably to a condition of the 
nervous system that governs the digestive appa- 
ratus, possibly a temporary paralysis. The cow 
refuses to eat and it may be anywhere from two 
or three days to a couple of weeks before she 
resumes eating. 

Our treatment for this condition must neces- 
sarily be experimental, since we do not know the 
exact cause of the condition, but our best results 
have come from the use of the following: One 
ounce of fluid extract of nux vomica with three 
ounces of dilute hydrochloric acid, one table- 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 75 

spoonful of this mixture to be given in a half-pint 
of water three times each day. 

Dyspepsia. 

Dyspepsia is also known as indigestion or gas- 
trointestinal catarrh. It may be the result of a 
varied and widely different set of conditions — 
irritant or spoiled foods, foods that are binding 
in nature, thus hindering the secretion of diges- 
tive fluids and preventing the absorption of the 
nutritive elements of the food that is eaten ; feed 
that is too fibrous and that may contain too much 
indigestible matter, or a feed that is used over 
too long a period of time and in too large quanti- 
ties. Lack of exercise will also predispose to 
this condition. 

The animal has an irregular appetite, is list- 
less and the eyes seem sunken. Constipation and 
diarrhoea alternate and the manure that is passed 
is usually dark and foul-smelling and in small 
quantities only. Occasionally the animal may be 
heard to grunt and chews the cud only at inter- 
vals. The passage of manure almost ceases but 
small quantities of mucus are passed. The ears 
and the base of the horns are alternately hot and 
cold, and the animal lies down most of the time. 
She may carry a slight temperature. The ani- 
mal gradually gets weaker and loses flesh rap- 
idly; finally the milk flow has entirely ceased 
and the cow reels and staggers when she attempts 
to walk. In many cases a brain disturbance is 
noticed at about this time, due no doubt to the 



76 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

pain and general weakness and to the poisonous 
products that are absorbed from the digestive 
tract. 

The very best and most appetizing feed should 
be offered several times each day, and if the ani- 
mal eats at all, care should be taken that the di- 
gestive organs are not overworked ; water should 
be given and should have the chill removed. 
Treatment of this condition is of grave im- 
portance, and should be prescribed by a veterin- 
arian after he has examined the case. Possibly 
the treatment prescribed for loss of appetite 
would give as good results in the majority of 
these cases as anything that we might be able to 
suggest or advise. 

Colic. 

This condition is most often produced by 
drinking freely of cold water and, as the animal 
suffers a chill shortly after drinking and imme- 
diately before the colic starts, the cause of this 
condition cannot be doubted. 

The animal begins by kicking at the abdomen 
witf.i the hind feet and stepping from side to side 
in the stall. The pain becomes very severe and 
the animal will throw itself to the floor. In some 
cases bloating is present. 

In mild cases walking exercise for ten min- 
utes or so will sometimes relieve the condition. 
A tablespoonful of ginger, either alone or with 
one tablespoonful of tincture of capsicum will 
usually be all the treatment that is required. It 



The Cow in Health and Disease, 77 

should be given with milk or water as a drench. 
If a veterinarian can be had and no bloat is pres- 
ent, a hypodermic injection of morphine or some 
other hypnotic is all that is required. 

Dysentery. 

Dysentery is, simply speaking, a severe diar- 
rhoea, which may be caused by the eating of 
irritating or spoiled feed, exposure to inclement 
weather, parasites, indigestion and the like. 

At first the stools are soft, but gradually get 
watery, often foul-smelling, and are sometimes 
streaked with blood. The animal has an anxious 
expression, is haggard in appearance, weak, and 
may show some evidence of abdominal pain. The 
appetite is lost or is irregular and the animal 
rapidly weakens and loses flesh. If the condi- 
tion is not remedied early, it may result in death. 

If the cause is due to the feed or to parasites, 
cure can. be made either by changing the feed or 
by the administration of suitable vermifuges to 
cause destruction of the parasites. A dose of 
castor or linseed oil should be given and should 
be followed by two or three tablespoonfuls of 
the following mixture: Tannic acid, one ounce; 
pulverized sulphate of iron, two ounces, and 
sodium salicylate, two ounces, all thoroughly 
mixed. This should be given in a solution of 
water, about one pint being sufficient. This 
makes a black solution resembling ink. This 
mixture has given much better results in this 



78 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

class of conditions than anything else we have 
ever used. 

"Diseases of the Respiratory System." 

There is surely no class of diseases of cows 
that require as much skill from the veterina- 
rian if he would make a correct diagnosis as 
those of the respiratory system. You know 
that the regular physician has both the subjec- 
tive symptoms by which his patient can as- 
sist him in arriving at a disagnosis and beside 
he has the objective symptoms or those that 
he can detect from physical examination. The 
veterinarian who would be successful in dif- 
ferentiating the diagnosis of these different 
conditions must have a very good knowledge 
of the anatomy and physiology of the respir- 
atory organs, when in the healthy state and 
he must have a systematic and careful man- 
ner of examining the patient. Many different 
things must be taken into consideration, and 
it truly is a fact that the veterinarian who is 
able to intelligently and successfully treat dis- 
eases of cows, is and must be a good diagnos- 
tician. 

The history of the case should always be 
learned as well as possible, but too much de- 
pendence must not be placed in this, as some 
people will deliberately misrepresent matters 
to test the skill of the veterinarian. Deter- 
mine whether the condition is acute or 
chronic ; this can many times be determined 
from the general condition of the animal, al- 



The Cow in Health and Disease, 79 

ways remembering that bad weather is usually 
the cause of this class of diseases in cows. 

Careful notice should be taken of the sani- 
tation of the quarters in which the sick ani- 
mals have been kept. Inquire as to whether 
the animal has had any treatment and what 
kind. Do not be afraid to get the history of 
the case. 

The experienced cattleman can draw many 
conclusions from the attitude and position of 
the sick cow. They have a characteristic ex- 
pression and attitude that they assume while 
standing, while walking, when lying down or 
when getting up. They have a peculiar facial 
expression. Many men can tell by looking 
into the face of a cow that they are in pain. 
When they have a high fever the skin seems 
dry and harsh and inelastic; this fact is 
quickly noticeable. The general condition and 
the state of nutrition in which the animal is 
found will many times be indicative of the 
length of time the animal has been sick. Never 
fail to take into consideration the age, breed, 
temperament and the constitution of the ani- 
mal, as this has a very material bearing many 
times, in arriving at a diagnosis. 

When the mucous membrane lining the 
eyes, nose and mouth is paler than usual, it 
indicates that the animal is illy nourished or 
has lost blood from disease or from hemor- 
rhage. In other cases where this membrane 
is very red, it indicates that the animal has 



80 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

a fever or an inflammation. When the mem- 
brane is bluish it is an indication that the 
blood is not receiving enough oxygen. This 
condition is found in severe pneumonia or 
weak heart. 

Cough may be either a primary symptom of 
disease when it is due to the irritation of the 
mucous membranes lining the respiratory or- 
gans, or it may be secondary when it is the 
result of some derangement of the intestines 
or stomach or other parts of the body that 
have a nervous communication with the res- 
piratory apparatus. A cough has special char- 
acteristics and are known as dry, harsh, moist, 
difficult, sympathetic, and hollow, and each 
of them has a special significance to the 
trained observer. 

The respiratory acts or the breathing, has 
an important part in the determining of this 
class of conditions. We may have labored, 
intermittent, accelerated, slow, deep, shallow, 
irregular and imperfect respirations. The act 
of respiration consists of taking the air into 
the lungs or inspiration, and throwing the air 
out of the lungs or expiration. In the nor- 
mal, healthy cow, the respirations are from 
15 to 18 per minute. Several things will 
change this however, among them being preg- 
nancy, rumination, or chewing- the cud and 
sleeping. After making observations in 
healthy cows one soon learns to recognize a 
great difference in the respiratory movements. 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 91 

A filling up of some of the area in the kings 
with exudate in pneumonia, pleurisy, or pain 
of the chest walls, fluid in chest cavity, weak 
heart, adhesions between chest walls and 
lungs, (such as often occur after pleurisy), 
bloating of the rumen, growths in the nose 
and throat or swelling of the throat and fevers 
will all cause rapid, irregular and difficult 
breathing which is known as dysponea. A 
very valuable symptom when properly inter- 
preted. 

It is well to take the temperature of all sick 
cows. The normal temperature of the cow 
is from 101 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit, but 
pregnancy, digestion and exercise will make 
slight changes in the temperature, but when 
there is a rise of 2 degrees, or more it is the 
result of some diseased process. The ther- 
mometer should be inserted in the rectum and 
be allowed to remain two or three minutes. 

The secretions of the mucous membranes 
will change with varying respiratory disor- 
ders. With cold in the head, you will have 
moist, wet secretions from the eyes and nose 
while with bronchitis and some conditions as 
pneumonia where the temperature is high, 
the mucous membranes will be quite devoid 
of secretions and are quite dry. 

The pulse of the cow is somewhat faster 
than the horse, being normally 45 to 50 times 
a minute. We have a fast and a slow pulse, a 
full pulse, an imperceptible pulse, regular, ir- 



82 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

regular, thready pulse, large pulse, small pulse 
and intermittent. The pulse is best counted 
and studied by pressing the fingers against 
the submaxillary artery where it passes under 
the lower jaw bone. It is necessary to press 
the artery against the jaw bone in order to 
determine the character of the pulse. Much 
practice with the pulse of healthy cattle will 
enable the operator to arrive at an accurate 
conclusion of the characteristics of the pulse 
in various diseased conditions. 

By applying the ear over the chest wall in 
the region of the lungs soft whistling, rustling 
sounds are heard. If the lungs are partly 
filled with fluid due to pneumonia or if secre- 
tions are abundant from any other causes, the 
air will make a bubbling, crackling, sound as 
it passes through the liquid. The bronchial 
sounds are much plainer and are more harsh 
and rasping like, than the sounds emanating 
from the lungs. Practice is the only means 
we learn, to differentiate between these differ- 
ent sounds. There is a peculiar sound that is 
caused by the lungs and the lining of the 
chest rubbing together when an animal has 
pleurisy and when it has been heard a time or 
two, it is very easily recognized in subsequent 
cases. 

By tapping or striking over the diseased 
part we are sometimes able to tell of the con- 
dition of the part from the sounds that are 
produced. The lung in health is always filled 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 83 

with air and due to this fact, a hollow reso- 
nant sound is produced when tapping or strik- 
ing above the part. 'Usually this is done by 
placing the left hand flat upon the chest and 
capping upon it smartly with the first three 
fingers of the right hand. The left hand is 
moved over the region of the lungs and we are 
sometimes able to recognize a filling of some 
parts of the lung, with a fluid or a solidifica- 
tion of a part of the lung. This is another 
means of diagnosis that can only be acquired 
by diligent and persistent practice. 

"Cold in the Head." 

This condition is also known as catarrh of 
the head or sometimes as rhinitis. 

This condition is usually mild and very sel- 
dom fatal, but if complicated by a severe sore 
throat it is sometimes fatal. It is most often 
brougth about by animals that are accustomed 
to shelter, being exposed to damp or stormy 
weather. It may also be caused from irritat- 
ing or noxious gases. At first a reddening of 
the lining of the nostrils and eyes is noticed. 
This is quickly followed by a watery discharge 
from the eyes and nose. At first not much 
attention is paid to this condition but the dis- 
charge becomes more profuse and the animal 
develops a high temperature and the discharge 
may become heavy and contain pus. The ani- 
mal becomes greatly weakened and is dull, 



84 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

does not move around much, has an impaired 
appetite. 

The first thing: that should be done is to get 
the animal into a warm yet well ventilated 
barn. If cold, blanket the animal. All drink- 
ing water should have the chill removed. Only 
the best of feed and that in small quantities 
should be given. Take six ounces of spirits 
of camphor and two ounces of fluid extract of 
belladonna and give one (1) tablespoonful of 
this mixture in a little water as a drench about 
every three or four hours. Good care is the 
most essential thing in the treatment. 

"Bleeding From the Nose." 

This condition is often spoken of as epis- 
taxis, and is quite rare in cattle. This condi- 
tion may be the result of injuries the same as 
in other animals, but it is not at all common. 
In aged cows in an unthrifty condition we 
have sometimes seen quite a severe hemor- 
rhage or bleeding from either one or both nos- 
trils. This usually takes place from a month 
to six weeks before the pregnant cow gives 
birth to her young. Does not occur in cows 
that are not with calf. The bleeding may per- 
sist until several pints of blood has been lost 
and then cease of its own accord, but many 
times leaves the animal in a weakened condi- 
tion. If this condition is not properly treated 
these hemorrhages may recur at intervals of a 
week or ten days and then at calving time if 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 85 

the cow experiences any great difficulty in giv- 
ing birth to her young it may leave her in such 
a physical condition that death will result. 

Keep the animal quiet and bathe the head 
and nostrils with cold water. Apply cold wa- 
ter to the head. Tie the head up to a rack or 
beam. If it does not stop within a reasonable 
time call a veterinarian who can either use 
styptic injections to check it or hypodermics 
of adrenalin. To prevent the recurrence of 
the hemorrhages take 8 ounces of the tincture 
of iron chloride and of this give two (2) table- 
spoonsful in water as a drench, night and 
morning until the cow has calved when all 
danger will have passed. 

"Bronchitis." 

This is an inflammation of the mucous mem- 
brane lining the bronchial tubes, be they the 
main bronchi or the capillary bronchial tubes. 
This condition is most often spoken of as 
catching cold. It in itself is not often fatal, 
but if complicated with other diseases it may 
prove fatal. 

The animal's temperature may go up to 104 
or 105 degrees. A cough is present which 
may be and usually is indistinct and incom- 
plete. The inspirations are incomplete and 
short and gives the animal much pain. The 
expirations are prolonged. By placing the 
ear over the lungs various sounds may be 
heard corresponding to the extent to which 



8 6 The Cow in Health and Disease* 

the disease has progressed and the amount of 
exudate that is present. If, however, these 
bronchial tubes fill up with fluid the animal 
dies from suffocation. The appetite is lost 
and the pulse is fast and hard. 

The animal should be placed in a well ven- 
tilated and comfortable box stall. The bow- 
els should be kept in good condition by the 
use of laxatives and proper feeds. Keep the 
cow warm even though it requires blanketing. 
Use the following: Fluid extract belladonna 2 
ounces ; spirits of camphor, 4 ounces, and aro- 
matic spirits of ammonia, 10 ounces. Give 
two (2) tablespoonsful in water as a drench 
three times each day. The animal should be 
fed lightly and it should be of the best qual- 
ity. This condition is apt to become chronic 
and then not a great deal can be done for it 
in many cases. If the case seems severe from 
the start a competent veterinarian should be 
employed. 

"Pleurisy." 

This is an inflammation of the membrane 
lining the chest cavity and that covering the 
lungs. It is rarely found as an independent 
disease, but usually found associated with 
pneumonia and is no doubt caused by the same 
disease germ. It may occur as an independent 
disease due to a fractured rib or a deep punc- 
tured wound. 

When the animal is first noticed it has a 



The Cow in Health and Disease. Ql 

great deal of pain. It does not move around 
much and when it does it will move as though 
foundered. The breathing is very fast, but 
is mostly abdominal and very shallow. The 
ribs are fixed. Movements of the animal give 
pain. Pressure between the ribs causes the 
animal to evince pain. A short grunting 
sound is heard most times in breathing and 
the expiration is much longer than the inspira- 
tion. The muzzle is hot and dry and the ap- 
petite is absent. The animal is constipated 
and the temperature will be around 105 or 106 
degrees Fahrenheit. If the ear is placed over 
the chest cavity a hoarse rasping sound is 
heard and this is caused by the rubbing to- 
gether of the two dry inflamed surfaces. After 
a couple of days the temperature drops to 103 
or 104 degrees and the animal begins to eat 
and secretions of the serous membranes begin 
to fill up the chest cavity and the sounds be- 
come less harsh as the cavity fills up. If 
medicinal treatment can not stimulate the ab- 
sorption of this fluid in the cavity, the animal 
gradually grows weaker, the breathing shorter 
and more hurried and the animal has an anx- 
ious haggard expression, which is soon ended 
by death. If a veterinarian can be had that 
can perform an operation and draw off this 
fluid from the chest cavity from time to time 
it may be the means of saving the animal's 
life. Death will not usually occur sooner 



88 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

than from 10 days to two weeks nor later than 
the third week. 

Give the animal the same general care as 
recommended for bronchitis. Keep the bow- 
els active. Give the same treatment for the 
cough here as mentioned under bronchitis. 
Take of fluid extract of bryony and give one 
(1) tablespoonful in a little water every three 
hours ; this will very materially assist in the 
absorption of the exudate. Take of oil of 
mustard one-half ounce and petroleum eight 
ounces. Thoroughly mixed, rub in on each 
side of the chest over the lungs. Do not rub 
too vigorously; this will have the same effect 
as a mustard plaster and is much easier kept 
in place. If the life of the animal is threat- 
ened it requires an operation as mentioned 
above which must be performed by your veter- 
inarian. 

"Pneumonia." 

This condition is divided by most authors 
in at least three different types or classed in 
three different groups, but we feel that very 
few individuals can differentiate between these 
conditions clinically, and as the treatment of 
them all is practically the same, we will speak 
of it simply as pneumonia. All of these types 
are caused by the same germs and the only 
difference is in the way the respiratory organs 
are affected. 

The condition immediately preceding the 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 89 

pneumonia of cows is congestion of the lungs. 
The animal may be seen having a chill which 
may last only two or three hours or which 
in other cases may last several hours. This 
may be of short duration and escape the at- 
tention of the attendant. The temperature 
will be found to be 105 or 106 degrees Fahren- 
heit, and occasionally even higher than that. 
The respirations are greatly accelerated and 
very shallow, the pulse is quick and hard and 
the nostrils are dilated; a cough may be pres- 
ent at this time. The nose is hot and dry and 
the animal is usually constipated. Pressure 
between the ribs over the lungs gives the ani- 
mal pain. The animal stands with the fore- 
legs spread apart and the elbows turned out- 
ward. The hair is standing on end and the 
skin is harsh and dry. On placing your ear 
over the region of the lungs a soft crackling, 
snapping sound will be heard. During this 
time the animal stands most of the time. After 
this first stage has passed the temperature 
drops somewhat and the animal lies down 
most of the time. The expression becomes 
haggard and the pulse becomes hard and wiry. 
The secretion of milk is almost suspended. 
The sounds of the lungs are nothing but a 
whistling or wheezing sound. If the lungs 
could be seen at this time they would very 
much resemble the liver in appearance. 

If the animal is going to recover the cough 
becomes loose, and the other symptoms begin 



90 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

to subside, the appetite returns and the ani- 
mal is generally improved in all ways. If, 
however, the case is not progressing favorably 
the breath will have a foetid smell and is taken 
in very short gasps. The extremities are cold 
and feel clammy and the pulse can not be felt. 
These symptoms are an indication that death 
is a matter of a very short time. 

It is doubtful after the first symptoms ol 
pneumonia have developed if it is possible to 
abort the disease, but we do feel that if intel- 
ligently handled at this time that the severity 
of the attack can be so lessened as to make it 
a comparatively slight ailment in many cases 
and greatly lessen its effects in most others. 
This condition should be treated early, as this 
is the time when the real good is done. In 
this condition the more fresh air the better, 
just so there are no draughts. Blanket the 
animal well and then see that there is an abun- 
dance of fresh air. See that the bedding is 
clean and plenty of it. The chill should be 
taken off the drinking water. The feed should 
be given often and in small quantities and 
should be appetizing. The first thing to do 
after blanketing the animal and making it 
comfortable in the right surroundings, is to 
apply a coating of the mustard and petroleum 
as referred to above. Have your druggist put 
you up several powders of Sparteine sulphate 
each containing 30 grains and dissolve one of 
these in a small quantity of water and give 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 91 

every four hours. If the animal can be kept 
eating it will greatly favor the patient's chance 
for recovery. For this take fluid extract of nux 
vomica and gentian of each two ounces and 
give of this one-half tablespoonsful every three 
hours in a little water. If the animal is con- 
stipated give a small laxative dose of epsom 
salts or oil. 

"Heaves." 

This condition is also known as emphysema 
and is caused by a rupture of the very small 
air cavities of the lung. It makes a peculiar 
respiratory action in which the inspiration is 
normal but the expiration is prolonged and 
difficulty in expelling the air from the lungs. 
The diagnosis can be made from this charac- 
teristic breathing. The animal is usually 
emaciated, hide bound and the coat is staring. 

There is no treatment for this condition and 
as it does not materially affect the milk flow 
nor the appetite and the best thing to advise 
is to prepare such animals for the block where 
their condition is such that they will make 
good meat and why not destroy them for 
humanity's sake. 



CHAPTER XII. 

CONTAGIOUS ABORTION IN CATTLE. 

By the term contagious or infectious abortion 
we refer to those cases of abortion that occur 
enzootically in otherwise healthy animals from 
some infection that produces a local inflamma- 
tory condition of the uterus and foetal mem- 
branes of the foetus. This condition has been 
recognized as contagious from the beginning of 
the last century in some of the mountainous dis- 
tricts of the old world, but the causative agents 
had not been discovered before 1876 with any 
degree of certainty and yet there is some con- 
troversy concerning the cause of this condition. 

This is most commonly found in cows, but it 
may be found in mares, ewes, sows and goats. 
It has been possible to produce abortion by arti- 
ficial inoculation also in rabbits and bitches. This 
is a disease that occurs mostly in fine, well bred 
cattle, that are kept in stables and are forced for 
large milk yield, and, for this reason, it has be- 
come one of the greatest menaces to the dairy 
industry that this country has ever known. It has 
also been found in range cattle. Its loss in the 

92 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 93 

dairies is not only from the number of calves 
that are lost, but the loss in milk flow and the 
trouble that is consequently encountered in get- 
ting the cow to conceive again. 

This disease is caused by the bacilli Coryne- 
bacterium Abortus Infectiosi. It may retain its 
virulence for several months in the uterus of the 
cow, in its secretions or in the dead foetus. 
It is destroyed very readily by very mild anti- 
septic solutions. 

The infection may be taken up by the external 
genital organs but more often it is transmitted 
to the cow from the bull during copulation. The 
bull usually receiving the infection from serving 
some cow which is already affected. The infec- 
tion may be introduced by various objects that 
are used in caring for the animals. It may also 
be taken up with the feed and water — the feed 
and water becoming contaminated by the mem- 
branes and fluids which envelop the foetus. The 
infection of the male by the female and the con- 
sequent infection of other females soon spreads 
the infection through a large herd. The abor- 
tions are usually some little time apart, and, 
after the first one or so occurs, there will be 
some time elapse and it may be some little time 
before the owner awakens to the fact of the ac- 
tually existing condition. In this way it is al- 
lowed to gain a foothold and the means that 
should have been applied for its prevention have 
not been used. 

This infection which gains access to the va- 



94 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

gina during copulation has the power of passing 
the mucous plug in the neck of the uterus, gaining 
access to the uterus where it sets up a catarrhal 
inflammation of the mucous membranes lining 
the uterus and also the membranes covering the 
foetus and also the attachments between the cho- 
rion or outside layer of the covering of the foetus 
and the cotyledons, to which the membrane is 
attached. This produces a secretion and grad- 
ually the membrane becomes loosened from the 
cotyledons or their attachments and then the 
contents of the uterus or the foetus is expelled. 
During this diseased condition, the bacilli caus- 
ing this condition may gain access to the foetus 
itself. Sometimes, however, the foetus is not ex- 
pelled but simply mummifies and is retained to 
full term and sometimes even longer. A cow 
will often abort twice, but not usually more than 
three times at the most. 

Cows most often abort in the fifth or sixth 
month and mares from the fourth to eighth 
month of pregnancy. Animals that are preg- 
nant for the first time will usually abort earlier 
than those that are older or that aborted prev- 
iously. Abortion may occur at an earlier or later 
date, however. The first symptoms that are no- 
ticed are a catarrhal inflammation of the genitals 
with a swelling of the vulva and an inflamma- 
tion of the vagina with a mucous discharge which 
is always dirty, but may be clear or of a dirty 
gray or occasionally a bloody discharge. In cows 
the milk flow is diminished and looks much like 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 95 

the first milk or colostrum that the cows give 
at the- first milking after calving. 

In two or three days following these symptoms 
the abortion takes place, with slight general dis- 
turbances. If this occurs early in pregnancy, the 
afterbirth is usually passed with the foetus, but 
if it occurs later it may be passed subsequently 
or even retained for some little time and may be 
removed manually. Following the abortion there 
is a dirty brown or bloody discharge for several 
days which may be putrid. This discharge may 
accumulate in the uterus and be expelled at in- 
tervals by straining. When the animal is bred 
early the abortion usually takes place early in 
the stage of gestation ; and, if the animal is bred 
after several months, the animal is more likely 
to carry the foetus to full term. Many of the 
animals fail to conceive after the abortion and 
most of them with difficulty. Those abortions 
that occur early are usually dead, but those that 
are nearer full term are often alive, and emit a 
hoarse bellowing sound which is more than likely 
due to some disease of the brain. 

The nature of the condition can be determined 
by the symptoms that precede the abortion, and 
by the catarrhal inflammation that persists for 
such a length of time after abortion and by the 
subsequent abortions that take place in the herd, 
and also by the condition of the membranes of 
the foetus which contain a large amount of puru- 
lent exudate on it. There are several sero-diag- 
nostic tests that are being perfected for this con- 



96 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

dition the same as we have for glanders in horses, 
and tuberculosis, and it is more than likely in 
the next few years that we shall have positive 
methods of determining animals that are infected 
with this condition. 

This condition will prevail for several years 
if not properly guarded against. The abortions 
occurring with more regularity for some time 
and then those cows that have aborted two or 
three times will usually give birth to healthy 
calves and the new cows or heifers will abort 
and finally it will die out of its own accord after 
several years. 

Those animals that are apparently healthy 
should be removed from those affected, if pos- 
sible. If not possible, they should be kept in 
separate stables or in a part of the stable by 
themselves, and the stable should be thoroughly 
disinfected and the litter removed and disin- 
fected, or better still, destroyed. Those healthy 
animals should have the external genitals and 
vagina washed once or twice daily with a mild, 
non-irritating antiseptic solution. The antisep- 
tice should not be strong, or it will produce an 
irritation and straining. 

Animals that have aborted should have their 
uterus irrigated two or three times daily with 
an antiseptic solution till the discharge has 
stopped, and then every two or three days for 
about two weeks. The foetus should be burned 
or else scalded and buried deeply. The litter or 
bedding should be destroyed and the stall should 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 97 

be thoroughly disinfected. The animal should 
not be bred for about two months after the abor- 
tion, and if she then fails to conceive, if she has 
had proper treatment, she should be sold. 

Methylene Blue has to date given by far the 
best results in the treatment of this condition in 
the way of an internal treatment, but should be 
employed in two or three times as large doses as 
is usually used. Carbolic acid has been recom- 
mended both subcutaneously and orally. 

New animals that are brought to the herd 
should be kept by themselves and watched for 
some little time before being placed with the herd. 
They should receive the same prophylactic treat- 
ment as the other members of the herd. By 
keeping the animals that have aborted and treat- 
ing them properly and then breeding them, you 
can much sooner get rid of the infection. 

It is only a matter of time until we will be able 
to immunize cattle against this abortion by a 
properly prepared immunizing agent, the same 
as we are now able to immunize animals against 
hog cholera and against tetanus or lockjaw and 
several other fatal and serious animal diseases. 



CHAPTER XIII. ; 

FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE. 

Of all the animal plagues that have visited 
America, that of foot and mouth disease which we 
have experienced within the last year has made 
more history than all of the others combined. 
Its sudden appearance, the rapidity with which it 
spread and the proportions which it reached have 
caused much wonder and comment among the ag- 
riculturalists of the United States. There has 
been an abundance of speculation concerning this 
condition and a great part of it has come from 
people who are not experienced in diseases of 
this kind and therefore should not carry a great 
deal of weight. It is true that we have had sev- 
eral outbreaks in this country — three or four at 
least — during the last few years; but none of 
them reached any size before they were discov- 
ered and proper measures taken for their dispo- 
sition. 

A great deal has been said about the careless- 
ness in handling the recent outbreak, but it may 
be possible that, if everything was known, those 
who were taking care of this condition were do- 

98 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 99 

ing all that could possibly have been done under 
the circumstances. A great many things look 
different to most of us once we get in on the 
ground floor. In the first place, very few veter- 
inarians in this country had ever seen a case of 
this disease, and, for this reason, some of them 
were taken unprepared. Very few people realized 
the intent and purpose of the quarantine. The 
lack of sympathy and support of the farmers and 
stockmen of this country was another thing that 
was very detrimental to the administrative pow- 
ers that were handling the disease, and yet the 
Bureau of Animal Industry did not have suffi- 
cient force with which to do all the work as they 
should like to have done. 

It seems to me that very few people realize the 
vast size of the United States when they talk 
about many things, and they surely fail to take 
into consideration the vastness of the live stock 
industry of this country when they talk about 
foot and mouth disease. We have heard people 
talk as if they really believed that the live stock 
killed on account of the recent outbreak of foot 
and mouth disease formed a large part of the 
stock of this country. If they but knew what 
a small fraction of a per cent the number of 
slaughtered animals was to the total number 
in the United States, we are sure many of them 
would feel they were very foolish indeed to 
think as they have been thinking. 

We learn from our past experiences and from 
the history of other peoples and nations. We 



1G0 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

have no right to dispute authentic history when 
recorded by recognized authority. We have peo- 
ple that have never made any effort to learn 
whether this condition is the same as they have 
among the live stock of the old country, yet they 
do not hesitate to make the assertion that it is 
not. The veterinarians of America are not sur- 
passed by any other country in the world; they 
are younger as a profession. However, all of 
our veterinarians of note have diagnosed this 
as the same as the European condition. Not 
a single veterinarian that we know of has made 
the claim that it is not the same disease. We 
have seen several cases of it ourselves, and, 
from what we have observed, and from what 
we have learned from the best European liter- 
ature available, we can not see one bit of dif- 
ference between this and that of the old world. 
While the veterinarians of this country have 
said that it is the same condition and offered 
many proofs that it is as they say, we have 
never found a single individual who has been 
able to offer one good proof that it is not. It 
is one thing to make an assertion of something 
which you believe to exist and another thing to 
prove it. We are at present waiting for the 
proofs. 

It seems a shame that one of the most promi- 
nent live stock papers of this country has taken 
the stand that it has about this matter and stirred 
up the antagonism toward the veterinary profes- 
sion that they have. We have one consolation, 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 101 

and that is, they are standing alone. Several of 
the other farm papers and live stock papers have 
written editorials that have surely been a credit 
to any sane and just editor. The bad feature of 
the other paper of which we are speaking is 
that they took everything for granted and did 
not give the profession a chance to defend 
themselves. It is doubtful if any member of the 
profession would have deemed it worth his 
while to reply to such an editorial as this one. 

Foot and mouth disease has been prevalent 
in the old world for many years and has gained 
such a foothold that it has very seriously crip- 
pled the live stock industry of almost all of those 
countries. England, France, Spain, Germany 
and others have spent millions of dollars in an 
effort to eradicate this disease and have been 
unsuccessful. It would seem that if they spend 
millions of dollars in an effort to eradicate it, 
they must think it is a detriment to the live 
stock industry. Practically all of the noted au- 
thorities on veterinary medicine in the old world 
claim that the slaughter method is the only meth- 
od to pursue when you have a new outbreak. 
They have had many years' experience, why 
should they not know? The authorities of the 
United States have had personal letters from 
some of the best veterinarians in the European 
countries since this outbreak started advising 
them as to the value of the method they were em- 
ploying in combatting the disease. 

Foot and mouth disease is not a fatal disease, 



102 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

and, unless complications set in, the mortality is 
very low. There is a type, however, known 
as the malignant type, in which the mor- 
tality is very high. This type is not very 
common. It causes its greatest loss in the re- 
duction of the productiveness of the animal, also 
the loss of flesh. Fat animals that are almost 
ready for market lose flesh very rapidly. With 
milk cows the flow of milk is very rapidly dimin- 
ished. It was said by a prominent veterinarian 
in England, and one who had a prominent part 
in handling the disease in that country, that the 
loss to each cow giving milk was at least $20. 
Taking into consideration the number of milk 
cows in the United States, we wonder how 
many times this loss, if every milk cow in the 
United States would become affected, would be 
the cost of the eradication of this last outbreak. 
We should judge that it would be well into the 
thousands at least. One attack of the disease 
does not render the animal immune ; it may 
have several attacks of the same disease, and 
besides, an animal that has apparently recov- 
ered may carry the contagion to another 
animal. These are knowm as virus carriers. 
It is the loss of the milk flow and also 
the loss of flesh that makes this condition 
such a detriment to the dairy industry. It is milk 
that they are after. Their aim is to develop cows 
that will produce a large flow of milk that is 
rich in butter-fat, and no cow that is poor and 
weak and thin and poorly nourished can do this. 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 103 

Many people are of the opinion that this out- 
break took many herds of dairy cattle, but the 
number that were slaughtered, when compared 
to the whole number in the United States, would 
be a drop in the bucket. 

If this disease would gain a foothold on 
American soil so it could not be eradicated, it 
would be a serious factor in lowering the cost of 
dairy cattle, as no one would care to pay a high 
price for such cattle when there was such a dis- 
ease lurking in this country. It would mean that 
several of our best breeders would quit the breed- 
ing of this class of cattle, as they would figure 
that the risk would be too great. This would also 
make the risk so great from showing animals 
that very few owners of high class animals 
would want to take the risk that would be neces- 
sary to show their cattle at shows. This condi- 
tion once getting a foothold in a dairy, even 
though the government did not quarantine and 
slaughter, would in the course of a few weeks 
reduce the herd in producing ability to a point 
far below that which it had possibly taken the 
breeder many years to reach. Its effect upon 
the dairy industry would very favorably compare 
with that of infectious abortion; it would simply 
cripple many of the dairymen to such an extent 
that they would quit the business, as they could 
not stand the losses it. would bring about. The 
ease with which it may be transmitted by various 
animals and other agents, including feeds, man- 
ures, grains, hays, hired help and cattle buyers 



104 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

and many others, makes it a dangerous condition, 
to say the least. 

We firmly believe that the people will be- 
come more firmly convinced in the course of 
time that the method adopted by the Bureau of 
Animal Industry during the last outbreak was 
the only logical way of handling this situation, 
and we believe in time that the people will 
become more educated about this condition and 
they will see the dangers which we hope we 
have escaped. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE COW'S UDDER AND MILK SECRE- 
TION. 

The mammary glands are peculiar to all of 
the mammalian animals, the highest class of ani- 
mals and the class to which our domestic ani- 
mals belong. The mammary gland of the 
cow is commonly spoken of as the udder and 
originally only supplied milk for her young, 
but since the cow has been domesticated she 
produces milk for human consumption, one of 
the most important articles of food. 

The udder of the cow is a compound g^and 
divided into two symmetrical halves and each 
half is again divided into equal parts, thus 
making four quarters of the cow's udder. From 
each quarter is suspended a teat which has 
an opening at the lower end from which the 
milk may be drawn. Occasionally there is a 
pair of rudimentary teats, which are of no con- 
sequence and do not give any milk. At the 
base of each teat is a cavity, known as the 
galactophorous sinus, in which the milk is 

105 



106 The Cow in Health and Disease, 

stored. This holds as much as one quart in 
some cows. 

The interior of the cow's udder is made up 
of numerous lobes, united by cellular tissue 
which is yellow in color. Each of these lobes 
is further subdivided into lobules which are 
composed of very small cavities known as 
alveoli, acini or cells. The fat content of the 
milk is derived from these small lobules. The 
fluid part of the milk is secreted here and 
passes through these small ducts to the lobes, 
where it gains access to still larger ducts. 
These common ducts from each lobe converge 
toward the base of the teat and form a cavity, 
known as the lactiferous sinuses; these com- 
municate quite freely and form right at the 
base of the teat. The whole number of them 
is known as the galactophorous sinus and this 
is where the milk is stored until milking time. 

The udder of the heifer is usually small and 
firm, but, as parturition approaches, it be- 
comes swollen and tender showing that there 
are changes going on within it. At, or imme- 
diately after calving, milk is formed in the 
udder. 

There are two processes that contribute to 
the formation of milk, as follows : The small 
acini or alveoli, mentioned above, furnish the 
fat content of the milk from the shedding of 
cells lining these cavities, and the fluid por- 
tion of the milk is formed from the lymph that 
flows through the udder. If we examine one 



The Cow in Health ana Disease. 107 

of these small acini or alveoli of an animal 
that has never been pregnant, we will find that 
the cells lining it, and also the small acini, are 
much fewer in number than they are in an 
animal that is milking; the cells are also of a 
very slow growing kind and may be so nu- 
merous as to fill up this small cavity. When 
the heifer gets with calf these small acini be- 
come greater in number and cells that fill 
.them are discharged with the first milk which 
is known as colostrum. If examination is 
made before the udder has been milked, the 
cells lining these small acini will be apparently 
flat; but if the udder is milked out the cells 
will be long with a constricted base and com- 
ing free from the base are discharged as the 
fat of the milk. They leave behind them the 
parent cell from which other cells grow. This 
process, continued," produces the fat content 
of our. milk. No fat consumed by an animal, 
but a protein diet influences the fat content of 
milk. It is needless to say that these exam- 
inations must be made with a microscope. 

The fluid part of milk is composed of water, 
proteins, salts, and sugar. These are taken 
from the lymph that flows through the udder, 
by the cells lining the small alveoli and lo- 
bules. The lymph is made up largely from 
the blood, being the fluid part of it, with nour- 
ishment from the digested food eaten by the 
animal. The blood in flowing through the 
arteries and capillaries finally arrives at ves- 



108 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

sels that are too small to allow the passage of 
the corpuscles, then, from the process of trans- 
fusion, the fluid part of the blood passes on 
out among the tissues which are filled with 
small spaces known as lymph spaces. In this 
way the lymph carries nourishment to the cells 
comprising this part of the body. These small 
alveoli or acini in the udder act as lymph 
spaces and are filled with lymph. The cells 
lining these alveolar spaces extract a large 
per cent of the solid matter and most of the 
liquid from the lymph, and mixes it with the 
fat cells that go to make up the fat of the milk. 
This mixture is then carried down through 
the various ducts to the galactophorous sinus 
where it is stored until the next milking time. 
The remainder of the lymph is carried back 
through the lymph vessels and finally into the 
blood circulation again. 

The quantity of lymph produced by a cow 
in 24 hours is estimated at from 20 to 90 
quarts, but this does not mean that this is all 
the lymph that is in the cow's body. 

The quantity of water that the cow con- 
sumes influences the flow of milk slightly but 
to no great extent. The manner in which it 
does this we are not able to explain. 

The fact that the lymph has a mixture of 
some substances digested by the cow will no 
doubt explain the manner in which some feed 
will produce a characteristic odor in the milk 
of the animal which has eaten it. 



CHAPTER XV. 

DISEASES OF THE COW'S UDDER. 

Diseases of the udder may be classed as two 
kinds; those resulting- from external sources 
such as bruises, contusions, injuries by sharp 
pointed objects, and the like; and those that 
are due to internal conditions such as too rich 
feed and forced feeding in order to stimulate 
a heavy milk flow. These conditions may be 
infectious and non-infectious, such as infec- 
tious mammitis and simple mammitis. 

Treatment of the diseases of the udder is so 
often unsatisfactory that it should be the aim 
of every dairyman to prevent them by proper 
care and attention rather than to wait until 
the disease is well developed and then expect 
successful treatment. It is an old saying "an 
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." 
We believe, though, that the least prevention 
of a cow's udder from disease is worth more 
than all the cures that you can possibly em- 
ploy. 

The cow's udder is a very highly developed 
gland, composed of very sensitive tissues and 
109 



110 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

a network of blood vessels through which 
blood and lymph are carried and from which 
the fluid portion of the milk is secreted. A 
good milking cow has a most highly developed 
udder which is more likely to become deranged 
either through carelessness or from injury. 
A cow of this kind will usually demand a great 
deal of attention just before calving time, as 
the udder may become swollen and red, and 
tender and hot to the touch, which indicates an 
inflammation. At this time milk will usually 
be found in the udder and should be milke^ 
out. The milking should be done as carefully 
as possible and should be repeated three or 
four times daily if necessary. The cow should 
have not more than half feed for about 10 days 
or two weeks before calving, and three or four 
days before this time she should receive a dose 
of some good laxative, also plenty of exercise 
in the open air. 

Some cows have large, pendulous udders 
which are often injured when the cows get up 
or lie down, especially if the stall is too small. 
Injuries are sometimes sustained while the 
cows are in the pasture or when they step over 
high door sills and the like. Occasionally the 
udder is injured by coming in contact with a 
cement floor when no bedding is used. These 
wounds should receive attention, as they be- 
come very serious if the injury becomes in- 
fected. The treatment which we recommend 
at the end of this article for simple mammitis 



The Cow in Health and Disease* 111 

will do very well for this class of injuries. 

Bloody Milk. 

Due to the enormous flow of blood through 
the udder and the great number of blood ves- 
sels, we frequently have bloody milk in the 
heavy, rich milkers. Sometimes, the first 
thing that is noticed is a slight pink tinge to 
the milk when it is drawn and it will be some- 
what frothy. Soon streaks of blood and small 
clots will be noticeable. As this is due to a 
congestion and a rupture of some of the small 
blood vessels of the udder, it becomes neces- 
sary to draw the milk with as little manipula- 
tion of the udder as possible. This condition 
is usually brought about by feeding large 
quantities of rich and sometimes irritating 
feeds in an effort to stimulate a heavy milk 
flow; therefore, the feed should be reduced to 
about one-half and the cow should receive a 
laxative. If it is caused by an injury, the 
same procedure should be observed. If large 
quantities of blood are observed and the udder 
is tender, it is advisable to use a sterile milk 
tube for drawing the milk for a while. The 
teat, and tube, should be sterilized with a mild 
antiseptic before the tube is used, or infection 
will be introduced which is worse than the 
ruptured blood vessel which is rarely ever of 
any consequence if taken care of properly as 
soon as it is noticed. 



112 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

Tuberculosis. 

This condition can not be determined defi- 
nitely by a physical diagnosis, but requires 
the tuberculin test to confirm the diagnosis. 
This disease is quite common in old dairy cows 
which have been heavy milkers. It manifests 
itself usually in hard tumorous masses of dif- 
ferent sizes. Sometimes the udder will yield 
a thick heavy yellow substance which resem- 
bles pus which may in reality be a tubercular 
abscess, but more often it is a hard urm mass 
which can be very readily felt upon palpita- 
tion of the udder. When such a condition of 
the udder is found the presence of tuberculosis 
should be suspected and the tuberculin test 
should be immediately applied to confirm or 
disprove the diagnosis. 

Tumors of the Udder. 

If the tuberculin test fails t© show tubercu- 
losis in those cows whose udders contain hard 
indurated masses that are discernible by 
manipulation, it is plain that we then have a 
tumor of the udder. These growths are usual- 
ly benign in character in comparison to those 
of the human family which are usually malig- 
nant or of the cancer variety. Surgical inter- 
ference is not practiced for this class of con- 
ditions and it is not often that medicinal treat- 
ment would be of much value. 

Suppression of Milk. 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 113 

This condition will result from insufficient 
feed, debilitating disease, and ill health, but, 
occasionally, it will be seen in a cow which 
will apparently be in good health and will 
show no signs of any sickness or irregularity. 
This condition is caused by an affection or a 
temporary paralysis of the trophic nerves 
which stimulate the secretory action of the 
udder and it should be treated immediately. 
When this condition is first noticed, the cow 
gives only about half as much milk as she 
has been giving and in the very next milking 
she will give very little milk at all. 

In our practice we have gotten better re- 
sults from the use of one-half ounce fluid ex- 
tract of Nux Vomica and one ounce of fluid 
extract of Pilocarpus or Jaborandi, same to be 
divided into three doses and a dose to be given 
every three or four hours. Milking the teats 
the same as though milk was being drawn will 
assist in stimulating the secretion of milk. 

Simple Mammitis. 

Simple mammitis is a condition that is usu- 
ally spoken of among cattlemen and dairymen 
as garget. It is a simple congestion of the 
udder. It attacks the cow in various ways. 
Its severity at times puts the animal off feed 
and raises the temperature several degrees, 
and may almost completely stop the milk 
flow. At other times it will be so mild as to 
cause very little inconvenience. The frequent 



114 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

emptying and the kneading of the udder by a 
sucking calf's nose will sometimes be all the 
treatment necessary. The temperature in the 
simple congestion of which we are now speak- 
ing is rarely above two or three degrees. The 
milk flow is decreased to some extent and, as 
the disease progresses, the milk becomes wa- 
tery and finally contains strings and clots. 
The udder is doughy to the touch. Reduce 
the feed and bathe the udder with hot water, 
after which it should have a thorough yet a 
gentle massage with one part of poke root, 
belladonna or spirits of camphor in seven or 
eight parts of lanolin or vaseline. If the ud- 
der begins to soften after several hours of 
treatment, it is usually a good symptom that 
the case is terminating favorably and that the 
function of the gland will be restored. 

Infectious Mammitis. 

The cow affected with infectious mammitis 
will usually refuse to eat. The hair stands on 
end and the nose is hot and dry. The tem- 
perature is very high, as much as 106 Fahren- 
heit, and the animal usually walks with a limp. 
The respiration and the heart beat are greatly 
increased. The animal usually stands around 
much of the time as it is painful for it to walk, 
and it refuses to chew its cud. 

It is inadvisable for the owner to attempt 
to treat this class of ailments and the best 
thing to do is to get a veterinarian as soon as 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 115 

possible. The same treatment that we have 
outlined for simple mammitis should be used 
until the veterinarian can be had. The water 
that is given the cow if it be cold weather 
should have the chill taken off and the cow 
should be protected from the cold by blankets. 
The udder should be suspended with a large 
bandage. An animal so affected should be 
isolated from the other cows, and the caretaker 
should not attend to any of the other cows. 
It is very necessary in this condition that in- 
ternal treatment be of the very best and this 
should always be prescribed by a competent 
veterinarian. The majority of these cases 
leave the cow without the use of that part of 
the udder that was affected. Many times it 
is necessary to amputate the quarter of the 
udder affected. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

DISEASES OF THE COW'S TEATS. 

Diseases of the cow's teats are of much im- 
portance to the cow owner because the cow some- 
times forms bad habits while afflicted with such 
diseases. Permanently injured teats and a com- 
plication of the adjacent part of the udder often 
result in causing permanent injury and resist- 
ance to treatment. 

These diseases may be divided into those af- 
fecting the exterior and the interior of the teat. 
They may be caused by predisposing conditions 
such as infection from bacteria that are always 
present, and from infection and inflammation 
that may spread from within outward during 
diseases of the udder. Exciting conditions such 
as use of mechanical instruments, pressure dur- 
ing milking, injuries from stepping on teats 
when getting up or lying down, stepping over 
high sills, injuries from bushes, shrubs and the 
like in the pasture and from standing or wad- 
ing in dirty, filthy mud or water or through 
manure pits may also cause diseased teats. 

Those cows having large, pendulous bags and 

116 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 117 

large teats often step on them when getting up 
and lying down. After milking with a wet hand 
or after calf sucking, the cold, damp air will oc- 
casionally make them sore. Some young heifers 
have an abnormal udder or teat development, 
others have teats in which there is no milk duct 
at all. Although some quarters of the udder 
with ductless teats secrete milk the same as the 
others, it is necessary to make artificial openings 
through the teats and dry her up and beef her. 
In some teats the milk duct is closed from the 
growth of the lining membrane and in others 
there is no opening between the milk sinus and 
the milk duct. Some of these last named cases 
are amenable to treatment and in others it is un- 
satisfactory. 

It should be borne in mind that some condi- 
tions of the teats can not well be treated when 
the cow is giving milk, but only at the dry period. 

Chapped or Cracked Teats. 

This condition may be caused by one of sev- 
eral causes, such as sucking of the calf, milking 
the cow with wet hands, wading through wet 
grass or through mud and water, or from lying 
on wet bedding. It is then brought about by 
the chilling of the skin by the cold air. 

This condition varies greatly, owing to the 
time that has elapsed, the manner of treatment 
and the sensitiveness of the skin covering the 
teats. At first it will be but a dryness and red- 
ness of the skin with marked tenderness evi- 



113 The Cow in Health and Disease, 

denced while milking ; but, if allowed to go along 
without treatment, the manipulations during milk- 
ing and the other influences such as moist, damp 
atmosphere will sometimes result in deep cracks 
or fissures on the surface of the teats,often in- 
volving the deeper layers of the skin. 

If this condition is recognized early, the teat 
should be painted after each milking with a com- 
pound tincture of benzoin, using a camel's hair 
brush. If the condition is pretty well advanced 
before treatment is well applied it is then well to 
use an antiseptic solution such as germicidal discs 
in solution of 1 to 1,000, filling cup with the so- 
lution and then holding against the udder al- 
lowing the teat to be suspended in the solution 
for at least five minutes after each milking and 
then paint with the following: One-half ounce 
tincture of iodine in two ounces (by volume) of 
glycerine, using a camel's hair brush. If there 
are any scabs formed, the solution just recom- 
mended will remove them and besides it is a very 
good antiseptic. It is sometimes necessary to use 
a sterile milk tube to draw the milk, as the teats 
are too sore to stand milking. 

Teats Blocked by Casein. 

Due to unhealthy conditions of the udder, a 
teat will occasionally become blocked with coagu- 
lated casein which becomes very hard and dry 
from the loss of the liquid which it ordinarily 
contains, can often be moved up and down in 
the milk duct of the teat and often removed. If 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 119 

unable to remove, a small quantity of almond oil 
which has been previously boiled should be in- 
jected into the teat and then, after a few min- 
utes, it can usually be removed with the aid of a 
spring dilator. 

Warts on the Teats. 

Warts give more or less trouble when found 
on the teats and are very detrimental to an ani- 
mal that otherwise might be a show animal. 
Possibly the best way to rid the cow of them is 
to snip them off with a sharp pair of scissors 
and then paint the spot with tincture of iodine 
after each milking. This should be done when 
the cow is dry. If done while the cow is giving 
milk, it may be necessary to draw the milk with 
a tube for a few days. 

Calculus or Stone in the Teats. 

The teats of cows have been known to contain 
calculus or stones which are formed from the 
calcareous salts that are found in the milk. If it 
is impossible to remove them by the use of a 
spring dilator, it will be necessary to have a vet- 
erinarian remove them surgically, preferably 
best be done when the cow is dry. 

Tumor in the Teat. 

We occasionally find a teat that is obstructed 
with a warty or tumorous growth and this may 
occur anywhere between the orifice to the base 
of the teat. It is advisable to call a veterinarian 



120 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

to handle these conditions as it is most times 
necessary to remove them surgically, and this can 
best done when the cow is dry. 
Closure of Milk Duct by Lining Membrane. 

This usually takes place while the cow is dry 
and is not discovered until she freshens. It some- 
times is possible to draw some milk from the 
teat that is affected, as the closure is not always 
complete. We have been able in a few instances 
to open the milk duct by working the milk tube 
from side to side and then in a circle. If this 
is not successful or is impossible, it is then neces- 
sary to take a small bistoury which is made for 
that purpose and cut through the thickening in 
at least two directions. Keep this open by a 
spring dilator until healing has taken place. 

This condition is caused, no doubt, from an 
inflammation within the milk duct which brings 
the walls in apposition and they unite, either 
wholly or in part, thus closing the milk duct, 
either completely or partially. 

Stricture of the Teat. 

This is a condition which to the average cow 
owner seems very simple, yet we are frank to 
say that in our experience it does not yield satis- 
factorily to the modern methods of treatment 
that are now employed by practicing veterinar- 
ians. We believe, though, that they are as good 
as can be employed for such conditions. It is a 
very common thing to see a severe case of mam- 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 121 

mitis follow interference that is practiced in an 
effort to relieve a stricture of the teat. 

Stricture of the cow's teat does not often close 
the milk duct entirely, but, when it does, it is 
usually in young heifers that have never calved 
before. If the stricture is near the end of the 
teat, the teat will fill with milk quite readily, 
which will either draw in a very small stream or 
will flow in several small streams in a sort of a 
spray. If it is near the top of the teat, it will fill 
very slowly, but it can be drawn from the teat 
quite easily. 

A stricture located in the end of the teat will 
often yield to repeated dilation. Sterilize a teat 
dilator and wash the teat with an antiseptic, in- 
sert the dilator into the end of the teat and dilate 
to the proper opening, then let it remain in this 
position for a couple of minutes, after which the 
dilator should be removed for a couple of min- 
utes. This procedure should be performed five 
or six times, at intervals of two or three minutes 
rest between dilations, and treatments should be 
continued for several times at intervals of two or 
three days. A stricture that is located high in the 
teat should be treated only by a veterinarian, and 
then not until he has explained to the owner of 
the cow the danger of complications that may 
injure that quarter of the udder. It is strictly 
surgical in the majority of cases, but in a few 
cases where the stricture is not too high up a 
course of dilations are worthy of trial. 

Absence of Opening. 



122 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

We sometimes find heifers that have a perfect 
udder and teat development, except that the ex- 
ternal opening of the teat is absent. There is 
usually present a small depression where this 
should be. By means of a heavy needle or a 
small stylet the skin may be punctured, after 
which the needle should be turned from left to 
right several times, using care that it is not 
pushed deeper into the tissue then laid aside, 
while a sterile milk tube is gotten ready, the 
opening made by the stylet or needle is enlarged 
by a small curette, after which the tube may be 
pushed through the opening into the milk duct. 
The opening should be kept open, until healing 
has taken place, by a dilator or a small piece of 
gauze soaked in glycerine, allowing it to pro- 
trude so that it may be removed in 24 hours. 
Fistula of the Teats. 

This condition is usually due to an injury but 
may be the result of mammitis or other condi- 
tions affecting the udder. It is sometimes the re- 
sult of cutting off of rudimentary teats. They 
may have a milk duct and in that case they may 
continue to drip milk continuously. This condi- 
tion is very refractory to treatment and it re- 
quires surgical treatment to affect a cure. If it 
has been of longer than one month's standing, it 
is well to defer treatment until the cow is dry; 
if not, good results may be obtained at any time. 

The operation requires a great deal of skill 
and should not be attempted by anyone that has 
not a medical education. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

RETENTION OF THE PLACENTA. 

This is a matter which many stockmen do 
not regard with due seriousness, possibly be- 
cause they have not had an opportunity of ob- 
serving the various evils resulting from the 
failure of the cow to clean properly. 

When any great portion of the placenta or 
afterbirth is retained in the uterus for any 
length of time after the cow has given birth 
to a calf, there usually develops a varied chain 
of symptoms, whicn are very noticeable, often 
serious, and many times fatal. There may oc- 
cur a simple catarrh of the uterus in which the 
discharge is of a. mucous consistency or it may 
be a thick, heavy pus sometimes containing 
streaks of blood. There may be a cachexia or 
unthriftiness or a wasting away, or there may 
be an absorption of the septic or poisonous 
matter, known as septic metritis, which often 
times result in death or barrenness of the cow. 

A portion of the afterbirth may remain after 
the cow has apparently cleaned normally, and 
we sometimes find shreds or portions remain- 

123 



124 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

ing after it has been removed by the inexpe- 
rienced or sometimes when the veterinarian 
has removed it. 

When the simple catarrhal condition of the 
uterus follows this retention, the tail and 
escutcheon are soiled with a mass of filth 
which is composed of pus and dirt, and when 
the cow is in the recumbent position a quan- 
tity, of pus is usually noticed to flow from the 
vagina. Such cows in a herd can usually be 
detected from the odor of this discharge. 
Milk from a cow in this condition should not 
be used for human consumption. A veterina- 
rian can do little in the way of treating this 
condition unless he is called early, as the 
mouth of the uterus will contract so that it is 
impossible to use mild antiseptic irrigations. 
It is unsafe to use such irrigations unless it is 
possible to syphon off all the solution, because 
if any is allowed to remain it may produce 
such irritation and straining that an eversion 
of the vagina may take place. 

With the resulting cachexia or unthriftiness, 
that we have spoken of, the cow gradually 
loses flesh, her hair is rough, she gives very 
little or no milk, there is a loss of appetite, she 
will not respond to any extent to feeds or to 
tonics, and she gradually grows weaker and 
becomes a living skeleton. Sometimes after a 
year or so she regains some of her former 
health, but this is unusual. Generally the cow 
wastes away and dies in a few weeks. 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 125 

In other cases the cow absorbs these septic 
or poisonous products and this condition is 
known as septic metritis or pyo-metra and is, 
commonly speaking, an inflammation of the 
uterus, due to the absorption of the poisonous 
material within it. After several days the 
cow loses her appetite, respiration becomes la- 
bored, and the temperature may reach 105 or 
106 degrees Fahrenheit. With early and per- 
sistent treatment some of these cases recover, 
but when they do recover they usually leave 
the cow sterile and this is a great loss to the 
o ner. 

With any of the above conditions it is not 
unusual to have a sterile cow after recovery, 
but sometimes after the catarrhal symptoms 
of which we have just spoken the cow may be 
gotten with calf with persistent service or at 
other times after the lapse of several months 
up to a couple of years. If it is not possible to 
get her with calf within two years after the 
above condition, very little hopes should be 
entertained of later accomplishing this. 

The practice of tying heavy objects to that 
part of the afterbirth that is usually found pro- 
truding, in an effort to bring it away, should 
not be allowed as it usually tears the after- 
birth so that a part of it remains. The inex- 
perienced can often do more harm than good 
in these cases, and it is poor policy to allow 
them to attempt this unless a veterinarian can 
not be had. In our experience we find it is 



126 The Cow in Health and Disease, 

usually best to wait for about 48 hours in most 
breeds of cattle before removing the after- 
birth, but in Jersey cattle it is good policy to 
wait many times for about 72 hours. It is 
practically safe to wait in any cow for at least 
24 hours. 

Many people are of the opinion that there 
is some way of preventing this retention, and 
that there is also some medical agents that 
can be given that will cause the cow to pass 
them, but there is none as far as we have ever 
been able to learn. 

Remember that early intervention is to be 
recommended if you are sure that the cow has 
retained afterbirth, that veterinary help will 
be of little account unless it is secured early. 
Better be safe first than to take any chances 
of losing a good and valuable cow. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

LUMPY JAW. 

This condition is also known as wooden tongue 
from the fact that when it affects the tongue of 
cows, their tongues become very stiff. 

This condition is usually noticed only when it 
produces a swelling externally and this is most 
times on the angle of the jaw, but frequently it 
affects the muscular tissues lying between the 
jawbones. It frequently occurs internally, but 
it is doubtful if it can be diagnosed in the living 
animals ; it is no doubt many times diagnosed as 
tuberculosis. 

This is a disease of young or middle aged 
cows and rarely attacks older ones. This growth 
that is noticed is smooth, firm and very slowly 
increases in size, until finally it seems to attach 
itself to the bone. Many of these growths after 
a time get soft and break open, discharging a 
peculiar pus, very much resembling the mar- 
row of the bones. Occasionally there will be 
as many as four or five of these openings. 

This is considered as an infectious disease, but 
it is not often that we find more than a single 
127 



128 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

case or at best a couple of cases in any one herd. 
It is thought that it is caused by a fungus 
growth that grows on the grasses and grains 
that are usually and commonly eaten by cows 
and that it gains access to the region of the head 
through injuries of the gums and mucous mem- 
branes of the mouth, and through diseased teeth, 
and also when the young shed their first set of 
teeth. 

When this condition affects the tongue of 
cows it may progress for some little time be- 
fore it is noticed; after a time the animal will 
be noticed having the mouth slightly opened and 
the saliva will be dribbling from her mouth. It 
will be noticed that she has difficulty in swal- 
lowing, and watched, it will be observed that 
she can scarcely eat. 

If the tongue be examined at this time it will 
be found to be stiff and hard. Treatment of 
such cases must be prompt or the animal may 
die of lack of nutrition. 

It is almost marvelous the results that may 
be obtained in treating this condition in the 
greater number of cases ; if treatment is begun 
before the bony tissues have become diseased 
we have almost one hundred per cent of cures ; 
after the bones have become involved treatment 
is more difficult. 

The treatment that gives such results in these 
conditions consists in administering from one to 
two drams of potassium iodid three times each 
day. This is dissolved and given in water as 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 129 

a drench. The following is a good way to have 
it prepared : two ounces potassium iodid dis- 
solved in eight ounces of water and then give 
one tablespoonful in a little water as a drench 
three times daily. The external swelling should 
be painted twice daily with tincture of iodine. 

In some cases it requires five or six weeks 
to effect a cure. In those cases affecting the 
tongue there is apt to be a recurrence unless 
the treatment is persisted in for this length of 
time. In some cows we notice, what is termed 
Iodism and that is a condition resulting from 
an overdose of the potassium iodid. The ani- 
mal's eyes water, there is a catarrh of the nose 
and a loss of appetite ; when such symptoms oc- 
cur the treatment should be discontinued for 
three or four days until these symptoms have 
subsided and then the treatment should be re- 
peated as before. It is best to give sufficiently 
large doses of potassium iodid to produce this 
condition several times in those cases affecting 
the tongue. Cases that will not respond to this 
treatment in five or six weeks should be re- 
garded as hopeless as far as successful treat- 
ment is concerned. 

It should be borne in mind that when potas- 
sium iodid is given to cows that are far ad- 
vanced in pregnancy that it may occasionally 
produce an abortion and that it will very mate- 
rially affect the milk flow and sometimes will 
almost check it altogether; the milk should 
not be used while the cow is under treatment 



CHAPTER XIX. 

MILK FEVER. 

Milk fever is of common occurrence among 
high producing dairy cows. This was consid- 
ered a very serious disease a few years ago, and 
in the majority of cases the animals died. To- 
day this condition is very rarely fatal. 

Treatment for milk fever is strictly empira- 
cal, but it is certain that, even if we understood 
the causes of this condition, we could not treat 
it any more successfully than we do now. Vet- 
erinarians can handle the trouble quite success- 
fully. There is no other disease in which the 
symptoms develop so rapidly and become so se- 
rious in such a short space of time as do those 
of milk fever, and yet with our modern treat- 
ment the recovery is just as rapid and mystical 
as is the development of the disease. 

This is a disease that cannot be determined by 
symptoms alone, but the history and surround- 
ing circumstances make diagnosis possible. 
From wide experience the cow owner is able 
to know that the case at hand is milk fever and 
we may say that he arrives at his conclusion by 

130 



The Cow in Eetllh and Disease. 1S1 

intuition, but to the man who has seen several 
cases of this kind there comes to mind a series 
of symptoms that has in ail probability been 
unseen by the attendant. 

This is a disease of young cows, usually those 
having had one or two calves and, while it does 
affect old cows occasionally, it is not at all com- 
mon. More often it follows an easy parturition 
and is rarely seen in cows that have experienced 
much difficulty in giving birth to their calves. 
Cows that are affected are invariably in good 
flesh and thrifty and are heavy milkers. The 
disease makes its appearance in the majority of 
cases within one to three days after the cow 
has calved, but has been known to occur before 
birth and also as long as four or five weeks 
after calving. These latter two conditions are 
uncommon. 

As a rule the cow is down when she is found 
by the attendant, but the line of symptoms that 
would be observed are pretty much as follows : 
The cow refuses to eat and stands without pay- 
ing any attention to feed or surroundings. If 
she moves it is with a stiff, wobbly gait and it 
is noticed that she cannot control her hind parts 
but weaves and staggers as she walks. The 
muscles begin to quiver and she shows all signs 
of having a chill. She will shift her weight con- 
tinually from one leg to the other. In the course 
of an hour or so at most and often within the 
time after the cow is seen she goes down ; she 
lies on her breast, but h unable to get up; she 



182 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

seems very drowsy and rapidly gets worse until 
soon she is insensible and totally unaware of 
things that are going on about her. Her head 
is turned on her side and in this position she 
lies. Breathing is heavy and she quite often 
moans and grunts as if in great pain, but this 
is not due to pain but rather the result of the 
insensibility that is present. There is very lit- 
tle milk to be found in the udder and the secre- 
tion of saliva is very scanty. There is no move- 
ment of the bowels or passing of the urine dur- 
ing this time. 

Warm water should be secured and an anti- 
septic solution should be prepared in which the 
milk fever apparatus can be cleaned. The cow 
is rolled into such a position that all the teats 
can be worked with by the operator; what little 
milk may be in them should be milked out. The 
teats are then washed carefully in the antiseptic 
solution and the treatment is applied by means of 
a milk fever apparatus, which consists of a milk 
tube to which is attached a small rubber hose. 
In the center of the hose is a small metal cham- 
ber containing absorbent cotton saturated with a 
good disinfectant and on the other end is to be 
found a small rubber bulb or small metal pump. 
The milk tube is inserted into one of the lower 
teats and the teat is tensely distended with air; 
then the corresponding teat is inflated, and then 
the other two. To keep the air from leaking out 
of the teats, push the end of the teat in with 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 133 

the fingers. Do not use strings or rubier bands 
to keep the air in the teats. 

This treatment is known in most districts 
simply as the air treatment, but originally these 
cases were treated by injecting into the udder 
solutions of potassium iodid in water, and then 
a salt solution, and this was followed by pure 
oxygen gas, to be later replaced by simple 
atmospheric pressure. 

The cow should be treated just as soon as 
possible after being found and, even when she 
has been neglected so long that treatment might 
seem to be useless, she may recover. We have 
had cows in our practice that would recover per- 
fectly after they were apparently dead. So in 
this condition as long as there is a spark of life 
there is good hope for recovery. 

Under no conditions is it advisable to attempt 
to give a cow suffering with milk fever any 
medicine by way of the mouth. The throat is 
partially paralyzed and the medicine might pass 
into the lungs and kill the cow. 

In a short while after the cow's udder has 
been inflated she will begin to regain her senses ; 
her breathing gets better and she gets brighter; 
after a while she will straighten up and swallow 
a few times and begin to act natural. As soon as 
she can be induced to attempt to get on her feet, 
she should be helped, and if she succeeds in get- 
ting up she should be steadied for a few minutes 
until she can stand alone. 

A cow that lies stretched on her side when in 



134 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

this condition sometimes bloats badly and in this 
case should be tapped. It is better still to pre- 
vent bloat by keeping her propped up on her 
breast until she regains consciousness. 

After the cow is on her feet she should have 
water but no feed for the first ten or twelve 
hours ; at the end of this time she may be milked. 
No other treatment is necessary. If, however, 
the cow does not regain her feet within four or 
five hours inflate the udder as before. 



CHAPTER XX. 

STERILITY OF COWS. 

Sterility is one of the biggest economic prob- 
lems that the dairymen and large breeders have 
to solve. This condition is steadily on the in- 
crease and is found in the dairy districts and 
especially where contagious abortion is preva- 
lent. 

Sterility produces losses to dairymen and 
breeders in a number of ways. The dairy man 
that has cows that are sterile suffers greatly 
from a lessened production as he is unable to 
get the cows with calf and the result is a greatly 
reduced milk flow. The dairyman that has 
good, pure-bred animals suffers another serious 
loss in as much as he secures no offspring from 
his well-bred cows. The calves from many cows 
are worth very much more than all the butter 
and milk that they would produce in one year, 
which is the usual length of time between suc- 
cessive freshening. 

The percentage of sterility in the cows of the 
United States cannot be very closely estimated, 
but it would probably be somewhere in the neigh- 
borhood of ten per cent. 

Not all animals that we class as sterile are 

135 



136 The Cow in Health and Disease, 

permanently so, as many of them will breed 
again after being properly treated. Others, 
however, can never breed, as they are incurable 
and this is the reason that none save a very care- 
ful, studious veterinarian can become qualified 
so that by examination he can inform the owner 
what animals can be cured and which should be 
sent to the slaughter. The quack will soon get 
in trouble when he attempts to deal with this 
condition. 

The value of the cow has a great influence 
upon the decision of the veterinarian in cases of 
sterility, also the length of time that has elapsed 
since the last calving. Cows that are but grades 
and not exceptionally good ones will rarely be 
worth the treatment. The most of these cows 
must receive weekly treatments and from fifty 
to seventy-five per cent of them will require 
from three to six treatments. A few will re- 
cover after a greater number of treatments, up 
to six months, but the number that will recover 
and breed again after they have been treated 
over six months is very small indeed. 

Causes of Sterility. 

Sterility may be caused by excessive feeding 
of cows for show purposes, lack of exercise, de- 
bilitating diseases, excessive fatness, etc. The 
removal of these, when they are the causes, usu- 
ally brings about the return of the heat periods. 

Abnormalities of the genital organs, that is, 
the vagina, uterus, ovaries fallopian tubes, etc. 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 137 

Disease of the ovaries, tubes, uterus and vagina 
and cysts or tumors in any of these organs. 
But by far the most common cause of this con- 
dition is contagious abortion. 

Contagious abortion produces sterility by 
causing a diseased condition of the uterus or 
some of the other genital organs. This is closely 
associated by an inflammation of the vagina, 
which is easily transmitted from the cow's con- 
tact with infected stables and bedding and also 
by the bull during the act of coition. The only 
way this condition can be remedied is by disin- 
fecting the stables and local treatment of the 
vagina of the cow and the prepuce of the bulls. 

Diseases of the Ovaries. 

While it requires a qualified veterinarian to 
intelligently diagnose the diseases of the cow's 
ovaries, yet there is a train of symptoms that are 
usually indicative of a diseased condition of the 
ovaries, and they are the absence of the heat 
periods, irregular heat periods, or the animals 
are continuously in heat. There is also in the 
majority of cases a relaxing of the sacro-sciatic 
ligaments, which are just to the side and a little 
forward from the case of the tail and this gives 
the backbone a humped up appearance. The 
vulva may also be relaxed and flabby and appear 
larger than normal. 

Occasionally only one ovary will be diseased, 
but usually both. These diseases are brought 
about by the infection traveling up from the 



138 The Cow in Health and Disease. 

uterus through the tubes to the ovary. This in- 
fection may be from a piece of retained after- 
birth or from a diseased uterus. 

Diseases of the Tubes. 

The fallopian tubes are very small tortuous 
tubes that lead from the horns of the uterus to 
the ovary and they conduct the germ from the 
ovary to the uterus. Due to infection gaining 
access from a diseased uterus or from a re- 
tained afterbirth we often have a very badly 
inflamed thick-walled infected caval that will 
prevent the cow from getting with calf. This 
condition can only be treated by a veterinarian 
and requires a number of special instruments 
that are expensive. 

Diseases of the Uterus. 

By far the cause of the greatest number of 
sterile cows is a diseased uterus. This may be 
a catarrhal inflammation or it may be in which 
there is no discharge or it may be a severe in- 
flammation in which there is a mucous discharge 
mixed with pus that flows from the vagina at 
intervals. This pus may be retained for some 
time in a few cases. About 90 per cent of cows 
that abort have at least an inflammation of some 
sort of the uterus and every cow that aborts 
should have proper treatment by a veterinarian 
that understands the treatment of this condition. 
It is not necessary to treat the cow at time of 
calving, but if the afterbirth is retained it should 



The Cow in Health and Disease. 139 

be removed and in from ten to fourteen days 
after calving the treatments should be com- 
menced and continued until the uterus is nor- 
mal. Every cow that aborts should have uter- 
ine treatments without a single exception and 
then there would be a very small percent of 
them that would be permanently sterile. 

Quarantine. 

Every cow that aborts should be removed to a 
separate quarantine stable and the stable should 
be carefully and thoroughly disinfected. This 
cow should be kept here and should be treated 
weekly until the uterus appears normal and then 
bred. In no case would it be well to breed her 
before the expiration of two months. 

Who Can Treat Sterility. 

This condition can only be treated intelligent- 
ly and successfully by the careful, painstaking 
veterinarian who has given a great deal of study 
to this condition and should not be attempted by 
anyone else, as there are several pitfalls into 
which the empiric will fall that would be worse 
than sterility as they would many times result in 
the death of the animal. 



